[Georgia Frakolaki]

Despite proven agronomic value, digestate-derived biofertilisers still struggle to reach mainstream markets. What’s holding back their market uptake based on your experience? Is it the perception, the policy bottlenecks, or their price? Which could be the key levers to boost their acceptance (e.g., better marketing strategies, certification, clearer regulations)?

[Sofia Mai]

In my experience, the limited market uptake of digestate-derived biofertilisers stems from a combination of perception and regulatory barriers rather than product quality. Many potential users still associate digestate with “waste” rather than a valuable, safe, and nutrient-rich fertiliser. At the same time, the lack of harmonised standards and certification schemes across regions creates uncertainty and limits market confidence. Key levers to boost acceptance include developing clearer regulations, establishing robust quality certification and labelling systems, and improving communication and marketing to highlight environmental and agronomic benefits. Demonstration projects and farmer success stories could also play a major role in changing perceptions and showing practical value in the field.

[Elli Maria Barampouti]

I fully agree that perception and regulation are central challenges, but I would add that logistics and product consistency also play a major role. Many farmers and distributors hesitate to adopt digestate-derived biofertilisers because of variability in composition, high transport costs due to water content, and the lack of easily storable or standardised products. To truly unlock the market, we need not only clearer regulations but also technological innovations, for instance, evaporation, concentration, and pelletisation, to produce stable, transportable, and easy-to-apply fertiliser products. Combining this with targeted policy incentives (such as recognising digestate-based products within national fertiliser frameworks) and cross-sector collaboration could greatly enhance market confidence and uptake.

[Georgia Frakolaki]

Thank you both for your insightful points. So the market will likely stay limited until digestate-derived fertilisers can be offered as standardised, easy-to-handle, and clearly certified products that farmers trust. Based on what you said, I strongly believe that society, and especially the end-users, should be made more aware of the importance of circularity as well as the safety & efficiency of the digestate-derived biofertilisers. Have anyone seen successful examples or pilot projects (national or EU-funded) where digestate-derived fertilisers gained real market traction? Learning from those cases could help us identify which combination of policy tools and technological advances works best.

[Federico Battista]

In addition to all the important points already raised, such as perception issues, regulatory uncertainty, logistical constraints and product variability , I believe that another aspect worth highlighting is the need for clearer alignment across the different EU regulatory frameworks that govern digestate-derived products.

Even when high-quality, upgraded digestate fertilisers are available, producers and end-users often face uncertainty because the Nitrates Directive, the Fertilising Products Regulation, and national rules are not always fully harmonised. This makes market uptake slower, even when agronomic performance is solid.

The ongoing discussions on RENURE show that the EU is moving in the right direction, but many stakeholders still need practical, operational criteria to understand how digestate-based fertilisers can fit into existing regulatory categories.

Building on your observations, I fully agree that trust increases when the product is standardised, easy to handle, and supported by robust certification. From my experience, uptake becomes much stronger in projects where technological upgrading, transparent monitoring, and supportive policy frameworks work together. These conditions help farmers and distributors feel confident about both the quality and the regulatory status of the product.

[Mara Chavani]

Thank you all for the insightful points shared so far. One interesting trend I’ve come across recently is the growing involvement of agri-retailers in bringing digestate-derived fertilisers to the market. Some retailers are now experimenting with blended products, where nutrients recovered from digestate are mixed with conventional fertilisers. This seems to help overcome farmers’ hesitation by offering something familiar in terms of handling and performance, while still reducing dependence on purely mineral fertilisers. It’s still early days, but this kind of market-driven innovation could complement regulatory efforts and play an important role in wider uptake of digestate-based fertilisers.

[Eleni Mitsea]

Thank you all for the interesting remarks! One additional aspect worth considering is the variability in feedstock inputs, as the nutrient composition of digestate can differ widely depending on whether it originates from manure, crop residues, food waste, or mixed organic streams—this variability can undermine product consistency and farmer confidence if not properly monitored and standardised. Is this variability something we should also consider as a barrier in practice?

[Vasiliki Oikonomopoulou]

In addition to the previously discussed points, I would like to point out that the lack of commercial expertise and distribution channels of the biofertilizers’ producers may hinder the market acceptance of the developed fertilizers and their competitive position in the fertilizer markets. The development of a well-structured business plan, describing the brand management, the market segmentation, the pricing strategies, the after-sales support, and the long-term supply agreements with cooperatives and retailers could significantly improve market penetration of these products. These solutions could complement technological and regulatory improvements by ensuring that digestate-derived fertilizers reach the market with a professional, scalable, and customer-oriented approach.

[Sofia Mai]

Thank you all for the valuable insights, this discussion clearly shows that there is no single barrier but rather a combination of interlinked challenges.
Based on both experience and the points raised here, the key issue is not the agronomic performance of digestate-derived biofertilisers, but the lack of alignment across the entire value chain. Perception, regulatory fragmentation, product variability, logistics, and limited market readiness all interact and reinforce each other. What seems critical moving forward is to shift from a “waste-based product” mindset to a “standardised fertiliser product” approach. This requires three elements to work together:
First, clear and operational regulatory frameworks, with alignment between EU and national legislation, so that producers and users know exactly how these products are classified and can be used. Second, technological upgrading and quality control, ensuring consistent, concentrated, and easy-to-handle products that meet farmers’ expectations. Third, market-oriented strategies, including certification, branding, distribution partnerships, and strong engagement with farmers through demonstration and evidence from real applications. From what we see in successful cases, uptake increases when these elements are implemented together rather than in isolation. The opportunity is clearly there, especially in the context of circular economy and nutrient recovery, but scaling up will depend on building trust through consistency, clarity, and practical usability.

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