[Maria Loizidou]

The regulatory environment for digestate valorisation across Europe remains fragmented and complex. While the EU Fertilising Products Regulation (2019/1009) offers a framework for placing bio-based fertilisers on the market, national interpretations and permitting procedures still differ widely. In many countries, digestate is legally viewed as a waste rather than a product, creating administrative burdens for plant operators and limiting market access. Moreover, inconsistencies in environmental permitting, nutrient limits, and certification criteria slow down innovation and investment. To unlock the full potential of digestate valorisation, greater policy alignment is needed—harmonising national rules, clarifying “end-of-waste” criteria, and integrating carbon farming incentives. What policy measures or regulatory adjustments could best support the market uptake of digestate-derived fertilisers in your country?

[Sofia Mai]

I think the biggest barrier is still the lack of clarity around the legal status of digestate. Even when it meets high-quality standards, it’s too often treated as waste rather than a valuable product. This creates unnecessary bureaucracy and limits its market access. To move forward, we need clear and harmonised end-of-waste criteria across Europe and a common EU certification scheme that builds trust in digestate-based fertilisers. Simplifying permitting at national level and aligning it with the EU Fertilising Products Regulation would also make a big difference. Finally, linking digestate use to carbon farming or nutrient recycling incentives could really help scale up adoption and attract private investment.

[Elli Maria Barampouti]

While regulatory harmonisation is indeed crucial, I believe the core issue lies in market confidence and product differentiation. Even with clearer rules, digestate-derived products often lack a strong market identity compared to conventional fertilisers. Farmers and distributors need simple, transparent information about performance, safety, and economic benefits. Creating trusted quality labels and verified nutrient profiles could help bridge this gap. At the same time, demonstration projects showing consistent results across regions would strengthen credibility and help shift perceptions. Policy support should therefore go beyond regulation. We need communication, training, and awareness programmes that build a real market culture around digestate-based biofertilisers.

[Georgia Frakolaki]

Totally agree. Although in the last 20 years the Greek market has seen a significant increase in biogas and compost plants, the Greek national regulation is still missing some points that would help further valorize digestate, contributing to the circular economy concept. I believe that the above mentioned will build farmer confidence and make market uptake easier. I would also like to add another point here; although there are processes (e.g. drying, pelletisation, or nutrient concentration) that can make digestate-derived fertilisers easier to store, transport, and apply, facilitating their market entrance, the regulatory framework often lags behind these innovations (e.g. unclear classification of novel digestate products or lack of harmonised standards). Regulations should be updated to include these processed products and set clear safety and quality criteria.

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