Brussels, February 19, 2025 – The FER-PLAY Final Conference gathered key stakeholders and fellow research projects in Brussels to assess the current status of circular fertilisers, their role in sustainable agriculture, and outline concrete steps for their broader adoption. The two-day event provided a platform for advancing discussions on nutrient recovery, soil health, and regulatory frameworks necessary to support the adoption of circular fertilisers across Europe.
Tackling Agricultural and Environmental Challenges Soil degradation, nutrient pollution, and reliance on synthetic fertilisers are among the most pressing challenges facing European agriculture. With 60% of European soils classified as unhealthy, speakers at the conference stressed the urgent need to transition towards circular fertilisers.
Stephanos Kirkagaslis (DG AGRI) highlighted the Common Agricultural Policy’s (CAP) role in integrating sustainable nutrient management strategies. “Circular fertilisers provide an opportunity to enhance soil health, reduce environmental impacts, and ensure Europe’s long-term food security,” he stated. He also emphasized ongoing EU policy initiatives such as the Water Resilience Strategy, Evaluation of the Nitrates Directive, and the Clean Industrial Deal.
Scientific Innovations and Market Barriers Several key presentations focused on overcoming scientific and economic barriers to circular fertiliser adoption. Jorge Senán-Salinas (University of Vic) outlined the gaps in current Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodologies, emphasizing the need for improved environmental impact assessment tools. The NOVAFERT project is actively developing a common environmental assessment framework for circular fertilisers to address these gaps.
Hasler Iglesias (CETENMA) expanded on this, advocating for a combination of LCA with cost-benefit analysis and natural capital accounting to capture the full socio-economic value of circular fertilisers.
Lubos Jurik (SUA Nitra) presented findings from the NENUPHAR project, demonstrating the potential for recovering nutrients from animal manure, sewage sludge, and dairy wastewater. “Despite clear benefits, adoption barriers remain, including trust issues, regulatory inconsistencies, and production costs,” he explained. Voluntary Quality Assurance Schemes were proposed as a means to improve market confidence.
The Role of Compost and Digestate Aline Granjard (European Compost Network) provided insights into how compost and digestate contribute to soil health and carbon sequestration. With 21 million tonnes of compost produced annually in the EU, the potential to replace synthetic fertilisers and mitigate climate change is significant. “We need voluntary quality assurance schemes to increase trust and acceptance among farmers and consumers,” she urged. However, concerns about contaminants such as heavy metals, pathogens, and microplastics remain a challenge.
Regulatory and Market Perspectives Regulatory hurdles were a major discussion point. Lucile Sever (European Biogas Association) identified inconsistencies between EU and national policies, particularly regarding the Sewage Sludge Directive and Fertilising Products Regulation. “Harmonised standards and financial incentives are essential to facilitate market uptake,” she noted.
A key takeaway was the need for new regulatory drivers, including:
- revitalising the Integrated Nutrient Management Action Plan
- setting targets for nutrient recycling
- introducing fiscal incentives for sustainable nutrient management
- exploring agriculture’s inclusion in the emissions trading scheme (ETS).
FER-PLAY recommendations and next steps, the conference concluded with actionable recommendations from the FER-PLAY project team. The newly launched FER-PLAY Database will serve as a comprehensive resource on circular fertilisers, helping farmers, producers, and policymakers make informed decisions. The project has also delivered an Uptake of circular fertilisers, which presents a summary of the results of the multi-assessment conducted on seven value chains available in the database.
Key recommendations gather during the presentations and the panel discussions included:
- Providing training and technical support for farmers to facilitate adoption.
- Developing a robust bioeconomy strategy that includes circular fertilisers
- Aligning EU policies to remove regulatory bottlenecks and improve market accessibility
- Investing in R&D to improve the efficiency and cost-competitiveness of circular fertilisers
- Involve the fertiliser industry in the creation of formulations by blending circular and conventional fertilisers
- Develop business to consumer (B2C) business models from a consortium of small-scale producers, because the distribution industry is not interested in small/medium volumes.
As the EU advances its Green Deal and Circular Economy strategies, presenting its Vision for Agriculture and Food for the next five years, the FER-PLAY Final Conference underscored the importance of circular fertilisers in achieving a more sustainable agricultural system. Discussions throughout the event emphasised the need for policy alignment, increased research investment, and improved market frameworks to support the adoption of circular fertilisers.
