Belgium is a small country with a big environmental ambition: keeping its soils and groundwater clean in the face of a dense population, intensive agriculture, and a long industrial legacy. Across Flanders and Wallonia, old mining areas, farmland and former industrial sites are being steadily restored through some of Europe’s most advanced remediation programmes. What began as a response to past pollution has evolved into a proactive system of soil protection that combines science, regulation and innovation.
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In recent years, Belgium has made soil remediation a national priority. Urban expansion, pressure on drinking water aquifers, and EU environmental standards have pushed both public authorities and private companies to act. Belgium’s approach to managing cadmium and other contaminants is rooted in a strong regulatory framework. The country applies the EU Fertilizing Products Regulation, which limits cadmium in phosphate fertilizers to 60 mg per kg P₂O₅, while national rules under the Royal Decree of 28 January 2013 define additional product standards. Oversight is shared between the Federal Public Service for Public Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment, which is the policy setter in matters of health-food, animals, plants and environmental issues in Belgium, and the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain, which is responsible for the assessment and management of risks that may be harmful to the health of consumers, animals and plants. Additionally, Flanders and Wallonia handle enforcement through their own soil and waste authorities.
Flanders’ Soil Decree stands out for its preventive character: soil certificates, land-information registers, and early-warning mechanisms help track contamination before it spreads. In June 2025, the Flemish government also revised its temporary rules for managing soil containing PFAS, persistent industrial chemicals, after legal advice from the Council of State. The new risk-based framework updates threshold values and sets the stage for a structural amendment of the Soil Decree, ensuring a more robust legal basis for tackling emerging contaminants. Wallonia has similar programmes aimed at rehabilitating old industrial land. Together, these efforts reflect Belgium’s layered governance system which is complex, but effective when it comes to environmental oversight.
The fertilizer market relies heavily on imports and although specific national initiatives for low-cadmium products are limited, the legal structure already favours their use. Research and remediation projects increasingly focus on reducing pollution from agricultural run-off and strengthening sustainable farming practices.
Belgium’s experience shows that cleaning up the past and preventing future contamination go hand in hand. As highlighted in Safer Phosphates’ Ground Rules report, the country demonstrates that strong standards, coordinated monitoring, and a proactive remediation culture can protect both soils and public health. In a landscape shaped by industry and agriculture, Belgium’s steady progress offers a hopeful blueprint for safer, cleaner European soils.
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