Fertilizer prices are historically high. That has not gone unnoticed by the Members of the European Parliament. During the meeting of the Committee for Agriculture and Rural Development yesterday, several parliamentarians warned of the problems this poses for farmers and further down the chain and therefore called on the Commission to take measures to guarantee food security in this turbulent time.
According to several parliamentarians, the high prices for fertilizer can only be passed on to a limited extent by farmers when selling their products. For many, the most obvious measure is to abolish anti-dumping measures. One-off support for farmers to compensate for the high prices should therefore be seriously considered. In addition, a broad call has been made to the committee to legally equate mineral concentrates from animal manure with artificial fertilizer. In terms of quality and stability, various concentrates are not inferior to artificial fertilizer, but they must be used as animal manure.
Expensive energy is the core of the problem
Parliament is more divided on solving the cause of the high fertilizer prices. A number of parliamentarians warn not to phase out existing energy sources as long as there are insufficient and reliable alternatives. Others emphasize that more haste must be made in greening the economy so that the EU no longer relies on fossil energy from other countries.
"It's clear there is a big problem but we have to put it into perspective," Michael Scannell deputy director general of the Commission for Agriculture and Rural Development said at the meeting. "We are monitoring the markets closely and the data we have collected so far shows no indications that there is any reason to panic." The abolition of anti-dumping measures is being considered by the Commission. "But," Scannell warns, "that is not a panacea. It concerns €42 per tonne of end product and 6% on raw materials, so even if that measure is deleted it will only have a small effect on a fertilizer price of, say, €900 per tonne. we are not solving the sector's problem."