About: fertilisers

Biogas in Germany: Maintaining momentum

With the European Parliament backing a net zero emissions target for 2050, EU member states will need to further develop their biogas markets to continue to reduce emissions from waste, energy, and transport, write Benjamin Budde and David Newman.

The EU finally provides legal framework for organic and recycled fertilisers

The Commission, Council and Parliament have agreed to facilitate the use of organic fertilisers, for which there has been no regulatory framework so far. Fertilisers will also have to contain less heavy metal in the future.

Fertiliser industry vows to feed one ‘extra Germany’ per year

The EU fertilisers industry published its 2030 vision on Wednesday (21 November), stressing the need to optimise fertiliser use across Europe and improve production in order to adjust to the principles of the circular economy and feed a growing world population.

Customised nitrogen fertilisation saves money and the environment, Yara says

Referring to a case study in France, Norwegian multinational fertiliser and crop nutrition company Yara says that nitrogen fertiliser efficiency generates additional income for farmers and reduces ammonia’s climate and environmental impacts.

Hogan: New technologies ‘very important’ to reduce agricultural emissions

Agriculture has to modernise to take account of the new technologies that are coming on the market as this is a “win-win situation” both financially and environmentally, EU Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan told EURACTIV.com. According to the EU agricultural outlook...

Vella: Ammonia emissions is an ‘enormous’ problem that needs to be tackled

In order to fight air pollution, an integrated approach is needed, according to Karmenu Vella, the EU Commissioner in charge of environment, maritime affairs and fisheries.

Tackling ammonia emissions from agriculture

Agriculture generates around 94% of all ammonia emissions in the EU, the vast majority of which comes from livestock excreta. Greenpeace estimates the livestock share at almost 80%, while mineral fertiliser application accounts for approximately 20%.

The ‘cadmium war’: EU in the midst of a geopolitical arm-wrestle

The level of cadmium in fertiliser production has triggered an intense debate in the EU as analysts fear the bloc could end up entirely dependent on Russia, with dangerous effects for the EU and its farmers.

Agrifood mergers bad for farmers, experts warn

Mergers in the agrifood sector squeeze farmers’ income and consolidate current models of food production, aggravating environmental and social fallouts, according to experts, who warn that they also create barriers for victims of industrial disasters seeking justice.

Oyster flatulence worries climate scientists

Plans to expand aquatic farming could have a serious knock-on effect on climate change, climate experts have warned after new research revealed that underwater shellfish farts produce 10% of the global-warming gases released by the Baltic Sea.

Yara boss: Africa has major potential in future food security

Europe will remain an important supplier of agricultural goods in the future but the greatest untapped potential lies in Africa, which could become the “bread basket” for the rest of the world, the president of Yara, a multinational fertiliser and crop nutrition company, told EURACTIV.

MEPs open the door for waste water operators in fertilisers regulation

The European Parliament’s Internal Market Committee (IMCO) voted yesterday (13 July) on the amendments to the proposed fertiliser regulation and suggested the introduction of more innovative products such as the ones from

Weak cooperatives and high input costs hike Greek food prices

In Greece, cooperatives play a limited role in the food supply chain. Combined with rising overhead costs, this has contributed to the erosion of local farmers' incomes, while emptying the wallets of consumers.

Commission: Technology will make farming more transparent to consumers

Technologies can enhance “transparent farming” and, as a result, better inform European consumers about the food they eat, a European Commission spokesperson told EURACTIV.com.

MEPs fear EU cadmium restrictions could increase fertiliser import dependency

A Commission initiative to reduce cadmium contamination has landed on the international trade committee’s desk at the European Parliament. Some MEPs believe this move could decrease the choice of sources of fertiliser imports across the world and give countries like Russia too much market power.

Using sewage to make Europe’s economy truly circular

Sewage sludge is a potentially vast source of nutrients for fertilisers. The Commission is missing a golden opportunity by excluding it from the Fertiliser Regulation, writes Arne Haarr.

Vice-versa: Germany’s nitrate problem

Germany and the EU: How do they cooperate? Where do their approaches conflict and where are their interests aligned? EURACTIV Germany's new Vice-Versa series will take a look at one issue from both a European and federal government perspective.

Spanish agriculture in numbers

Spain is home to almost one million agricultural and livestock businesses, covering 30 million hectares of land and employing some 750,000 people.

Agricultural inputs remain decisive in farm profitability

Seeds, fertilisers, pesticides, fuel, feed, irrigation equipment, water and power: all have an impact on farmer's income. EURACTIV’s partner EFEAgro spoke to sector experts about these farming essentials.

Better nutrient recycling can reduce EU dependence on foreign phosphorus

Better recycling of nutrients in the agricultural ecosystem would cut demand for fertilisers and reduce our dependence on Russian phosphorus imports, write a group of scientists from the Baltic Sea Centre.

EU takes Germany to court over high nitrate levels

The European Commission is taking Germany to court because of high nitrate levels that have been detected in its water. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Our very existence depends on soil, so why is it not protected?

In the minds of many, soil is simply dirt, but without it we would all cease to exist. Unlike the water we drink and the air we breathe, soil is not protected in the EU and its quality is getting worse. This has to change, writes Balázs Horváth.