The European Commission is due to publish a legislative proposal which will recognise digestate from anaerobic digestion and compost as fertilisers under EU law.

Only mineral fertilisers are currently under the Fertilisers Regulation of EU law meaning they can be freely traded across the EU market, something that it is not possible for organic fertilisers which are subject to diverse national legislation.

This revision aims to create a level playing field between the two sectors and opening up the possibility to trade digestate and compost freely across the EU. It is expected that the regime would run in parallel to existing national legislation on organic fertilisers, offering the possibility to producers to comply with national rules if the product is intended for use within the country’s borders.

The proposal is expected to be formally published by the European Commission at the end of March. Once published it will be formally considered, and may be amended, by the European Parliament and the Council.

Photo Caption: Applying compost

Photo Credit: Wikipedia Commons

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