Ahead of the long-awaited Fertiliser Action Plan, Copa and Cogeca have released a comprehensive position paper outlining concrete EU-level measures to address the fertiliser crisis and ensure long-term market stability. The sector’s message is clear: the EU has the tools to act, and decisive measures are urgently needed to safeguard farm viability and Europe’s food security in an increasingly turbulent geopolitical context.
Following the mobilisation of thousands of farmers in Brussels last December calling for urgent action on fertiliser prices, the Praesidia of Copa and Cogeca have approved the farming sector’s common position on a comprehensive set of immediate, medium- and long-term measures to deliver relief and restore market stability.
Fertilisers are indispensable to European food and feed production and a cornerstone of Europe’s food security. When costs rise beyond sustainable levels, farm viability is severely undermined, putting Europe’s food sovereignty at risk.
Copa and Cogeca’s position paper identifies a range of practical EU-level solutions that the Commission should urgently integrate into the Fertiliser Action Plan. Immediate measures include suspending the CBAM for fertilisers and mitigating its cost impact, as well as suspending MFN tariffs and anti-dumping measures on fertiliser imports.
To reduce dependency on synthetic fertilisers, the Nitrates Directive should be amended without delay to allow greater flexibility in the use of manure where agronomically justified, and to authorise the use of digestate above current thresholds.
The paper also calls for harmonised rules to scale up organic and recycled nutrients, which can substitute synthetic nitrogen without compromising yields while strengthening Europe’s strategic autonomy. RENURE criteria should be aligned with the Joint Research Centre’s recommendations to ensure full technological neutrality. At the same time, the Fertiliser Market Observatory should be reinforced, competition rules strictly enforced, and the market closely monitored to provide farmers with reliable information on fertiliser availability and fair pricing.
The upcoming Fertiliser Action Plan must reflect the agronomic and economic realities on the ground, deliver immediate relief, and set a credible pathway towards sustainable nutrient management.
Copa and Cogeca therefore call on the European Commission to act decisively. These measures represent the minimum action required to address a crisis that farmers have been warning about for years and which could have far-reaching consequences for the European Union, extending well beyond the agricultural sector.
Fonte: Copa Cogeca
