It was about this in the European Committee on Agriculture and the Environment on Tuesday morning, May 30. Both committees of the European Parliament voted by a two-thirds majority for the amendment of the European Fertilizer Regulation.
This change in the law should make it possible for farmers to use mineral concentrate in addition to the current usage standards. Jan Huitema (VVD) is a MEP and initiator of the proposal.
What exactly does the change in law entail?
'Farmers should be able to make more use of animal manure without this affecting the level of usage standards. The animal manure must then be processed in such a way that it can serve as a raw material for fertilizer substitutes. These can actually be recognized by Europe, but in the Netherlands they may not be used above the application standard for animal manure. This bill allows European member states with a manure surplus, such as the Netherlands, to make optimal use of their own fertilizers. In addition to the Netherlands, this is also interesting for parts of Germany, Flanders, Normandy, Italy and Ireland.'
Is the committee's voting advice a breakthrough?
'No, it's too early to tell. The full European Parliament (EP) must first agree to the proposal. This will probably take place in September. The preliminary work has now been done and the signal sent on Tuesday is positive. However, in politics you never know. We have to keep our wits about us. You never know how things might turn out.'
Is the European Parliament unanimously positive?
'No definitely not. About two-thirds voted positively, the remainder voted negatively. The green factions see the advantage of the fertilizer substitute, but want a guarantee that recognition does not mean a deterioration in water quality. The authorization of the concentrate means that less fertilizer needs to be produced and that makes a significant difference in CO2 emissions. The Social Democrats are very divided.'
How will recognition be arranged by Brussels?
'In order for the mineral concentrate to be recognized as a fertilizer substitute, a legislative amendment to the European fertilizer regulation is necessary. In short, this means that animal manure may serve as a raw material for a fertilizer substitute. It then does not count within the usage standards. In theory, it could not become a reality until 2018 at the earliest. We are not there yet, but we have taken a step in the right direction.'