Final report on Fertilizers and soil conditioners

Summary

The expert group for technical advice on organic production (EGTOP; thereafter called „the Group‟) has discussed whether the use of the substances/products/techniques mentioned below is in line with objectives, criteria and principles as well as the general rules laid down in Council Regulation (EC) 834/2007 and whether they can therefore be authorised in organic production under the EU legislation. The Group concluded the following:
- Hydrolysed proteins from animal by-product origin are in line with the objectives, criteria and principles of organic farming and should be included in Annex I to Commission Regulation (EC) No 889/2008, with the following restrictions: (i) Chemical hydrolysis only exceptionally acceptable in cases where it is required by Regulation 142/2011; (ii) not to be applied to edible crop parts.
- Leonardite is in line with the objectives, criteria and principles of organic farming and should be included in Annex I with the following restriction: only, if obtained as a by-product of other mining activities.
- Chitin is in line with the objectives, criteria and principles of organic farming and should be included in Annex I. The Group recommends that only chitin products originating from sustainable fisheries or organic aquaculture should be used.
- Sapropel, as well as similar organic sediments from fresh water bodies, are in line with the objectives, criteria and principles of organic farming and should be included in Annex I, with the following restrictions: (i) Only organic sediments that are by-products of water body management, and which are extracted in ways that cause minimal negative impact on the aquatic ecosystem, should be used; (ii) Same limits for heavy metals, as given in Annex I for household waste, should be applied; (iii) Sediments rich in contaminants such as petrol-like substances should not be used.
- Animal (including wild animals) by-products of category 3 and digestive tract content (category 2), co-digested with organic materials included in Annex I, are in line with the objectives, criteria and principles of organic farming and should be included in Annex I with the following restrictions: (i) animal by-products must not be from factory farming; (ii) not to be applied to edible crop parts.
- The technique of carbon dioxide enrichment should be considered in general discussions on a set of standards for organic protected cropping. In the opinion of the group, carbon dioxide rebalancing, as well as enrichment to elevated levels, is not in contradiction to the Council regulation. The group concluded that certain forms of carbon dioxide enrichment techniques could be in line with organic farming principles. However, the group has not concluded whether carbon dioxide from all origins should be acceptable.
The Group has also drafted the template for the dossier mentioned in Art. 16(3)(b) of Council Regulation (EC) 834/2007 in relation to fertilizers and soil conditioners.
Finally, the Group noted that the compositional requirements in Annex I of Commission Regulation (EC) No 889/2008 for „composted or fermented household waste‟ and for „products and by-products of animal origin […]‟ require a limit of “0” for Cr (VI). The group agreed that it would be more appropriate to write "not detectable" instead of “0”.