The introduction of the new regulation will entail far-reaching changes, both in terms of the approach (oriented towards the circular economy) and in terms of how it will be put into practice
- The introduction of the new Regulation (EU) 2019/1009 of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down rules on the making available on the market of EU fertilising products, which will come into force on 16 July 2022, will entail far-reaching changes in relation to the previous regulation, both in terms of the approach, oriented towards the circular economy, and in terms of how it will be put into practice.
With regard to labelling, which is fundamental for providing farmers with useful and truthful information, the complexity of the issue has meant that the European Commission itself has opted to draw up a "guidance document" to complement the Regulation, which, drawn up by experts from member countries, will serve as a reference for manufacturers, distributors and, fundamentally, the end users of fertilisers. In the same way, a UNE standard is being developed to facilitate the implementation of the regulation.
On the other hand, the Regulation requires the verification of the conformity of each fertiliser product with the parameters described, which requires a harmonised method of analysis for each of these parameters. These methods will be included in standards, which are being drawn up under mandate of the European Commission and are being developed in the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN). The mandate from the European Commission to CEN provides for the drawing up of 68 technical specifications for methods of analysis by April 2022 and harmonised standards by April 2024.
The Regulation, prior to its implementation, has been amended in several respects, mainly to include and classify new Component Material Categories (CMCs).
On the other hand, different procedures for assessing conformity with the requirements of the Regulation are established depending on the Product Function Categories (PFCs) and their CMCs which, in some cases, require the intervention of external assessment bodies.
The Fertiberia Chair of Agri-environmental Studies would like to dedicate this conference to the analysis of these factors and thus try to clarify some of the aspects that are fundamental for the immediate future of our sector.
