On 5 December, World Soil Day, ECOFI members came together for our General Assembly in Brussels. It was a great opportunity for our members to take stock of the year as well as begin our planning for 2025.
2025 is set to be a busy year for agriculture and the organic-based fertiliser industry as the European Parliament and European Commission begin the new legislative term in earnest. Organic-based fertilisers – including organic fertilisers, organo-mineral fertilisers and organic soil improvers – are key tools to help deliver on a future of environmental and sustainable agriculture in line with the EU’s ambitions for food security, farmer competitiveness, and sustainability.
ECOFI welcomes a new board member!
December 2024 marked the end of Marion Martinez’s (Yara) time as an ECOFI board member. The general assembly allowed members to thank Marion for her dedication to the association over the past two years. Marion also had the time to reflect on her time on the board and thanked members for their support and continued engagement with the association. ECOFI members then had the chance to congratulate Pawel Lewandowski from Evergreen Garden Care for his election to the ECOFI board. He will serve a two-year term until December 2026. Pawel is excited to be a part of the ECOFI board and is looking forward to helping move the organic-based fertiliser industry forward and helping to develop a supportive regulatory environment which supports access to our members high-quality fertilising products.
New opportunities to advocate for a supportive regulatory environment for OBFs in the EU!
ECOFI members also took the opportunity of our General Assembly to discuss the evolving political landscape of the EU and its implications for our sector.
The EU has a renewed focus on fostering the circular economy to help support European businesses and enhance food security and competitiveness. This focus on the circular economy also acknowledges the importance of the circular bioeconomy in helping create a profitable and sustainable future for farming in the EU. This is an important opportunity for ECOFI as organic-based fertilisers are a prime example of the circular economy in action. OBF producers prevent unnecessary nutrient losses by transforming by-products from various industries – including farming, food production, tanning and leather, textiles, and cosmetics to name but a few – into high quality fertilising products helping farmers by enhancing yields and helping ensure European food security while staying within the planetary boundaries for nutrients and restoring soil health.
ECOFI is looking forward to the release of the highly-anticipated Vision for Agriculture and Food from the European Commission. ECOFI, in collaboration with our members and key allies, is actively working to position integrated nutrient management, through the complementary use of plant nutrition products, as a cornerstone of the European Commission’s mission to build a more competitive agricultural sector. Organic-based fertilisers play a crucial role in helping farmers improve yields and restore soil health, particularly when on-farm nutrient sources like manure or compost are insufficient, and in complement to more conventional products. These fertilisers provide consistent, high-quality, and safe solutions, delivering predictable nutrient levels to farmers. Many of these nutrients are derived from the circular economy, revalorised into innovative organic-based fertilising products rather than being discarded, which helps prevent unnecessary nutrient loss to the environment.
ECOFI members also explored new policy developments and opportunities at the EU level that could impact the organic-based fertiliser sector, particularly the upcoming evaluation of the Fertilising Products Regulation (FPR). Currently, many innovative and high-quality organic-based fertilising products face barriers to accessing the European single market, limiting farmers’ ability to benefit from these essential solutions. Regulatory inconsistencies and gaps, such as the exclusion of certain Animal By-Products in the FPR, must be addressed to support a competitive and sustainable agricultural sector in Europe.
During the General Assembly, members discussed ECOFI’s approach to engaging with the FPR evaluation and other policy initiatives. ECOFI aims to advocate for addressing these regulatory challenges and to encourage the European Parliament and Commission to prioritise agricultural innovation and circularity as core elements of their ambitions for EU policy in the years ahead.
Join ECOFI:
If you are an organic fertiliser, organo-mineral fertiliser, or organic soil improver producer and are interested in learning more about ECOFI and how membership can help you support the organic-based fertiliser sector on the European level, contact jessica@prospero.ag.
Further Information:
To learn more about organic-based fertilisers and how the EU can support this sector and European farmers, you can read our Manifesto.
