The Netherlands and four other EU countries are urging the European Commission to accelerate the approval of a new type of dry fertilizer made from animal manure. The approval of this so-called Renure fertilizer should be part of the new fertilizer strategy that Agriculture Commissioner Wojciechowski will announce next week.
At the Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting on Monday and Tuesday in Luxembourg, Belgian Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries David Clarinval, on behalf of the Netherlands, Hungary, Portugal, and Spain, will press to remove the current legal obstacles.
Dutch Member of the European Parliament Jan Huitema (VVD) and the Dutch government have repeatedly emphasized in recent years the importance of approving new, natural substitutes for chemical fertilizers.
A note from the five EU countries points out that RENURE (REcovered Nitrogen from manURE) is produced through intensive processing of animal manure. It is made into a dry powder form that can be spread. Previous research by EU bodies has shown that its effect is equivalent to that of chemical agricultural agents.
The approval of Manure instead of chemical fertilizers also contributes to circular and environmentally friendly agriculture, it is argued. The rapid approval of new agricultural inputs has become urgent not only because of the EU's own proposals to halve the use of chemical agents but also due to the consequences of the energy crisis caused by the war in Ukraine.
Not only for the Netherlands but also for dairy regions such as Flanders, northern Germany, and Denmark, the end of the manure derogation poses a risk that dairy farmers will start using more chemical fertilizers on their fields.
The latter is permitted under European regulations (because it is not of animal origin but chemical), whereas the less environmentally harmful Manure (instead of spreading wet manure) is not allowed because the use of animal-based products is capped.