4 March 2021

Safer Phosphates welcomes the finalisation of visual guidelines for green labels that may voluntarily be applied to phosphate fertilizer products with exceptionally low levels of cadmium (below 20 mg of cadmium per kg of P2O5 nutrient) as part of EU Fertilisers Regulation (EU) 1009/2019. Safer Phosphates believes that voluntary green labelling, combined with the ban on sales of phosphate fertilizers with over 60 mg of Cd/kg of P2O5 in the EU-27 countries and national derogations establishing even lower levels, will help to promote sustainable soils and protect the health of food consumers.

Under the guidelines, all companies that produce or sell ultra-low-cadmium fertilizers may use a green label indicating when a fertilizer product contains less than 20 mg/kg of P2O5, thus minimising the risk of cadmium accumulating in soils or entering the food supply. 

Pascal Michaux, the Secretary General of Safer Phosphates, said:

Arianne Phosphates CEO Brian Ostroff said: “Protecting agricultural soils from hazardous elements like cadmium is critical to food security everywhere in the world. We welcome the EU initiatives to both limit maximum cadmium levels and enable producers of ultra-pure phosphate fertilizers to label their products as such. Arianne Phosphate is developing its Lac a Paul project, which will produce phosphate concentrate that is low in cadmium and other deleterious elements and, as member of the Safer Phosphate alliance, we welcome the introduction of voluntary green labelling.” 

Tradient Group Director Sanjeev Rai Gupta said:

PhosAgro CEO and President of the Russian Association of Fertilizer Producers Andrey Guryev said: