Essenti al quality and l abelling requirements

1. Essential quality and labelling requirements Fertilisers Working Group meeting 2 June 2014 This revised presentation contains the latest contributions received from Member States and industry. It does not commit the EU Commission 1

2. Essential Qualityrequirements - One MS mentioned that accepting low nutrient products would lead to increased levels of contaminants in soils as the amount of fertilising materials required would increase -Other Member States insisted that the minimum nutrient content of inorganic fertilisers is set low enough so as not to exclude niche products. Farmers will be able to differentiate products for the professional market from products intended for consumer market.- 2

3. Essential Qualityrequirements - Product categorisation for organic-based products should be based on product weight not dry matter to ensure coherent classification (See for example ECOFI contribution) - Quality requirements should avoid for the same material to be find into several categories. A clear threshold should help the user understand the utility of the products. 3

4. Inorganic fertiliser – Minimum nutrient content (Green = new suggestions) A. Solid primary and secondary inorganic fertilisers 4

5. Inorganic fertiliser – Minimum nutrient content B. Fluid primary and secondary inorganic fertilisers 5

6. Fertilisers containing only one micro-nutrient Minimum requirements for: Micronutrientsalts Micronutrient oxyde Micronutrientchelate Micronutrientcomplex Micronutrient suspension Micronutrient solution Possible for Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn for whichharmonisedrules have already been adopted. What about B and Mb? Can experts provide suggestions on possible genericqualitycriteria for fertiliserscontainingonly one micro-nutrient? 6

7. Minimum micro-nutrient content in …(refer to the existing tables of Section E) Table E.2.1. Solid or fluid mixtures of micro-nutrient fertilisers, percentage weight of fertiliser Table E.2.2. Primary and/or secondary nutrient(s) with micro-nutrient(s) applied to the soil, percentage weight of fertiliser. Table E.2.3. Primary and/or secondary nutrient(s) with micro-nutrient(s) for leaf sprays, percentage weight of fertiliser. COM : can we simplify by proposing an unique minimum content for micronutrients in mixtures? 7

8. Inorganic fertilisers – technical characteristics to be labelled(1)

9. Inorganic fertilisers – technical characteristics to be labelled(2) 9

10. Inorganic fertilisers – technical characteristics to be labelled (3) - Water-soluble and total secondarynutrient content (percentage on the product as received) - Total and water-soluble forms of micro-nutrients must bedeclared if addedintentionally (percentage on the product as received) 10

11. Thresholds for declaration of forms of secondary nutrients WG1 recommendation: current rules shall continue to apply Art 17: Ca,Mg, S and Na must be declared if above a given threshold Art 18 of the current Fertilisers Regulation: the declaration of the secondary nutrients shall be expressed in the total content and the content soluble in water where the soluble content is a quarter of the total content. DE: elemental S (organic S compounds) shall be declared on top of total and water-soluble S 11

12. Thresholds for declaration of micro-nutrients WG1 recommendation: current rules shall continue to apply Art. 6.6 of the current Fertilisers Regulation: the total content shall be declared and the water-soluble content is declared where the soluble content is at least half of the total content. As regards mixtures of micro-nutrients, the minimum limit values for the declaration of the total micro-nutrient content as set out in COM Regulation (EC) No 223/2012 shall continue to apply. 12

13. Inorganic fertilisers – Compulsory identification Identification of the product category + differentiation between complex, blended and coated fertilisers The quantity (in weight or volume) The relevant technical characteristics of inorganic fertiliser (see tables above) The batch identification code Guidelines for the safe handling (Provisions of the CLP legislation, where applicable) and use (including possible limitation of use in accordance with MS provisions) Where relevant, a statement about the suitability – or not - of the product for particular plant groups The name and the address of the manufacturer or importer Presence of biuret, Cl above a given threshold 13

14. Inorganic fertiliser – Optional identification Trade name of the product Granulometry ? Recommended conditions of storage and the recommended ‘use by’ date (expiry date). 14

15. Organic fertilisers – Quality requirements – Option A 15

16. Solid Organic fertilisers – Quality requirements. Expressed as % of the total packagedweight – OPTION B 16

17. Liquid Organic fertilisers – Quality requirements - Expressed as % of the total packagedweight – Option B 17

18. Organic fertilisers – technical characteristics 18

19. Organic fertilisers – Compulsory identification Identification of the product category The quantity (in weight or volume) The relevant technical characteristics of organic fertiliser (see table above) The batch identification code Guidelines for the safe handling (where applicable) and use (including possible limitation of use in accordance with MS provisions) Where relevant, a statement about the suitability – or not - of the product for particular plant groups The name and the address of the manufacturer or importer and Main constituents above 5% by weight of the final product in descending order of importance (may be expressed in general terms animal by-product, by-product from the agro-food industry…) Responsible person (manufacturer, importer, distributor): name and address 19

20. Organic fertiliser – Optional identification Trade name of the product Granulometry ? Recommended conditions of storage and the recommended ‘use by’ date. 20

21. Organo-mineral fertilisers – Quality criteria (ECOFI) (% on the weight of products) 21

22. Organo-mineral fertilisers – technical characteristics 22

23. Organo-mineral fertilisers – Compulsory identification Identification of the product category The quantity (in weight or volume) The relevant technical characteristics of organo-mineral fertiliser The batch identification code Guidelines for the safe handling (Provisions of the CLP legislation, where applicable) and use (including possible limitation of use in accordance with MS provisions) Where relevant, a statement about the suitability – or not - of the product for particular plant groups The name and the address of the manufacturer or importer Main constituents above 5% by weight of the final product in descending order of importance (may be expressed in general terms) Responsible person (manufacturer, importer, distributor): name and address 23

24. Organo-mineral fertiliser – Optional identification Trade name of the product Granulometry Recommended conditions of storage and the recommended ‘use by’ date. 24

25. Liming materials – minimum quality requirements Minimum NV : 15 -> 25 (equivalent CaO) 9-> 15(equivalent HO-) Minimum reactivity:10 Determined on dry matter to not exclude sugar factory lime 25

26. Liming materials – Parameters to be declared 26

27. Liming materials – Compulsory identification Identification of the product category The quantity (in weight or volume) The relevant technical characteristics of liming materials ( e.g. granulometry) The batch identification code Guidelines for the safe handling (Provisions of the CLP legislation, where applicable) and use (including possible limitation of use in accordance with MS provisions) Where relevant, a statement about the suitability – or not - of the product for particular plant groups The name and the address of the manufacturer or importer Main constituents above 5% by weight of the final product in descending order of importance Responsible person (manufacturer, importer, distributor): name and address 27

28. Liming materials – Optional identification Trade name of the product Recommended conditions of storage and the recommended ‘use by’ date. 28

29. Organic soil improver – Quality criteria (EU EoW) – mulches covered Industry proposal Current 29

30. Organic soil improver – Criteria to be declared

31. Organic soil improver – Criteria to be declared 31

32. Organic Soil improver – Compulsory identification Identification of the product category The quantity (in weight or volume) The relevant technical characteristics of soil improver The batch identification code Guidelines for the safe handling (where applicable) and use (including possible limitation of use in accordance with MS provisions) Where relevant, a statement about the suitability – or not - of the product for particular plant groups The name and the address of the manufacturer or importer The main constituents above 5% by weight of the final product in descending order of importance (may be expressed in general terms) Responsible person (manufacturer, importer, distributor): name and address 32

33. Organic Soil improver – Optional identification Trade name of the product Recommended conditions of storage and the recommended ‘use by’ date. Granulometry for compost 33

34. Other soil improver - Avoid catch all category - Limited to products largely used in agriculture (e.g. water retention products) - Quality requirements in development e.g; water retention capacity Alternatively - if such products are not largely marketed across Europe, leave MS the choice to regulate or not. 34

35. Growing media Not possible to describe quality requirements for the whole set of growing media products ( conclusions of the FWG on 19 November 2012) 35

36. Growing media – mandatory criteria to be declared

37. Growing media – optional criteria to be declared

38. Growing media – Compulsory identification Identification of the product category The quantity (volume) The relevant technical characteristics of growing media The batch identification code Guidelines for the safe handling (where applicable) and use Where relevant, a statement about the suitability – or not - of the product for particular plant groups Main constituents above 5% by weight of the final product in descending order of importance (may be expressed in general terms) Responsible person (manufacturer, importer, distributor): name and address

39. Growing media – Optional identification Trade name of the product Recommended conditions of storage

40. Plant biostimulant – Compulsory identification for all products (1) Identification of the product category EU registration number Product name Main relevant constituents in descending order of abundance (may be expressed in general terms – “natural plant extracts”) Registry functional claim(s): to which part(s) of the regulatory definition do the claimed benefits correspond – e.g. “benefit nutrient uptake” Minimum guaranteed content Indications of the dose rates and suitable conditions of use Net mass or volume for fluid biostimulants at time of manufacture and expressed as kg or lt

41. Plant biostimulant – Compulsory identification for all products (2) Expiration date, where relevant Storage and handling recommendations (e.g CLP provisions) Mark of the manufacturer and the trade description of the product Batch code Responsible person (manufacturer, importer, distributor): name and address

42. Plant biostimulant – Compulsory identification if relevant Detailed claims (where the producer claims more detailed benefits than the general definition) Any major nutrients (N, P2O5, K2O, MgO, CaO, SO3) that are present in amounts exceeding 1% on the product as received Total micronutrient content if present above 0.01% on the product as received For the nutrients: specify type (inorganic, organic), performance characteristics (e.g.water soluble or chelated)

43. Plant biostimulant mixed with other products • Labelling requirements that would apply to all plant biostimulants • An indication of EU registration • Product name • Registry claims • Minimum guaranteed content • Conc. of the biostimulant in the mixture (kg/t or ml/l) • Indications of dose rates and suitable conditions of use • All labelling requirements for the other component of the mixture • Labelling that is required if relevant for the product • Detailed claims (beyond definition claims)

44. Agronomic fertiliser additives :labelling requirements • Thank you for your suggestions • This category will cover: • Nitrification and urease inhibitors • Chelating and complexing agents • Coating agents (not yet covered by the current regulation) • …other possible products in the future (need for a flexible approach)