PROGRAMME

The project ReNu2Farm (Nutrient Recycling – from pilot production to farms and fields, funded by the EU Interreg North-West Europe Program) focuses on closing nutrient cycles to substitute mineral fertiliser and to contribute to a sustainable agriculture by supporting demand-oriented application of recycling derived nutrients. The implementation of EU Fertiliser Product Regulation (EU 2019/1009) is a big step to close nutrient cycles and to strengthen the circular economy use of high-quality recycling-derived fertiliser products (RDF’s) as a CE marked product on the free market of the EU. As this adapted EU regulation is still not in force and also not covering all innovative RDFs or components of it, the current situation is still hampering the European transborder market introduction of RDFs and some of its components. For more market uptake of RDFs and its components, quality assurances for the production, processes and the end-product needs to get uptaken normatively. Additionally, contamination limits (impurities and heavy metals) but also nutrient content and plant availability must be defined for more transparency for RDF users (Egan & Power 2020). Beside the European CE marking, the fertilizer producer can still choose to comply with national standards and sell the product to other EU countries on the basis of mutual recognition. Voluntary certification schemes are supportive to proof compliance for sale and marketing. ReNu2Farm highlights the benefits of RDF and proposes criteria for RDFS and designated fertiliser components to ease trade within the European single market. At the example of the RDF STRUBIAS, the legal status is portrayed, that is supposed to enhance consumer’s trust and market uptake. This should help to build up trust in recycled fertilisers and prospectively help to substitute mineral fertiliser by RDF.