Agreement on harmonised EU rules for digital labels for fertilisers

Voluntary digital labelling of fertilising products in the EU

Improved accessibility for end-users, in particular for people with disabilities and people with limited digital skills

Reduced packaging waste and labelling costs

Safeguards to ensure high level of protection of human, animal and plant health, and the environment

The new rules aim to improve the readability of labels for fertilising product and introduce an option for economic operators to provide labelling information in a digital format.

On Monday, negotiators from Parliament and the Council reached a political agreement on new rules laying down the digital labelling requirements applicable to EU fertilising products. The agreement, which updates the current rules on fertilising products, allows suppliers that comply with EU health, safety and environmental standards (CE-marked) to provide more information to economic operators or to consumers via a digital label.

Digital labelling will allow for more targeted information and diverse reading options for end-users (increased font, automatic search, loud speakers or translation). At the same time, it will streamline the labelling process for economic operators - making it easier to update labels, reducing packaging waste and increasing overall competitiveness.

Voluntary, user-friendly and safe digital labels

Under the agreed rules, digital labelling will be voluntary, meaning that manufacturers and importers can chose whether to provide the labelling information in a physical format, a digital format or a combination of the two. The options will depend on whether the fertilising products are intended for economic operators or end-users and whether they are supplied with or without packaging. On the initiative of MEPs, SMEs will be provided with guidance and training programmes to develop the skills and capabilities to comply with the rules.

If digital labels are used, economic operators will have to ensure their accessibility and high level of consumer protection. In particular, digital labels should be available free of charge, easy to access and searchable. Parliament insisted that essential information, such as health and environmental safety, needs to be easily understandable and accessible to persons with disabilities and with low digital skillset. Negotiators also agreed that digital labels must be available for a period of 10 years, from the moment the product was put on the market.

Access to essential information

Negotiators agreed to simplify certain provisions and to ensure consumers and farmers are well informed before making a purchase. In order to ensure a high level of protection of human, animal and plant health and the environment, when the fertilising product is intended for end-users, the most important information, such as information about the agronomic efficiency, the use of the product and its safety, must be provided in both a digital and physical format.

Digital labels can contain information on greenhouse gas emissions in the production process, the impact of the fertiliser and its agro-ecological efficiency. In addition, digital labels can include recommendations of the use of fertilising products and best practices to limit nutrient losses.

Quote

Rapporteur Maria Grapini (S&D, Romania) said: “We made sure that the digital label will be easy to understand and accessible to all the consumers, including vulnerable groups and people with disabilities, while ensuring a high level of protection for human, animal and plant health and the environment, without increasing costs excessively for businesses. Parliament managed to include in the agreement additional support for business to help them develop the appropriate skills and capabilities to comply with this regulation”.

Next steps

Today’s agreement needs to be formally agreed by Council and Parliament, before the regulation enters into force, and starts to apply 30 months thereafter.

Background

In the EU, digital labelling is already used for specific products, which contain chemical substances (e.g. batteries) and under consideration for others products, like detergents, cosmetics and chemicals. Current rules on fertilising products introduce extensive requirements for physical labels and user’s access to information. However, overloaded physical labels are tough to read by consumers and difficult and expensive to maintain by economic operators, as they may require frequent updates. The European Commission estimates the new rules could save between EUR 57,000 (for large companies) to EUR 4,500 (for SMEs) each year.