New EU legislation shaping the future of biofertilisers

The European Commission has introduced a new draft initiative under the Nitrates Directive, focusing on the use of fertilising materials derived from livestock manure and recycled nutrient streams.

This development marks another important step in aligning agricultural practices with circular economy principles and nutrient recovery strategies.

🔍 What is new?

The proposal introduces updated rules for materials such as RENURE (Recovered Nitrogen from Manure), aiming to:

• Enable the use of processed manure-based fertilisers as alternatives to synthetic fertilisers
• Improve nutrient recycling and reduce dependency on mineral fertilisers
• Support better nutrient management and reduce environmental pressures, especially nitrate pollution

At the same time, the discussion highlights key challenges:

• The need for clear definitions and quality criteria for recycled fertilisers
• Ensuring products are comparable to mineral fertilisers in terms of performance and safety
• Avoiding regulatory ambiguity that could hinder investment and market uptake

🌱 Why it matters

This initiative complements the broader EU fertilising products framework (Regulation (EU) 2019/1009), which already:

• Opens the EU market to organic and recycled fertilisers
• Sets harmonised rules on safety, quality, and labelling
• Promotes innovation in bio-based and circular fertilising products

Together, these developments signal a clear policy direction:
➡️ From linear nutrient use to circular nutrient management
➡️ From waste streams to valuable fertilising products
➡️ From fragmented rules to a harmonised EU market

🚀 What to watch next

The success of this legislation will depend on:

• Robust technical standards
• Market acceptance of recycled fertilisers
• Alignment with farmers’ needs and logistics realities

For stakeholders in biofertilisers, waste valorisation, and circular economy, this is a key moment to engage and shape the implementation phase.