As a platform committed to improving the environmental footprint of phosphate-based fertilisers, Safer Phosphates™ can only but welcome the new European Commission’s guiding principle “the Green Deal” as the overarching political line set to focus on making Europe climate neutral in 2050.
In this context, soil condition and protection naturally has a strong place given the increasing degradation of soil both in the EU and at global level leading in turn to extremely negative impacts on human health, natural ecosystems and climate as well as on our economy.
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In light of this and given the current COVID-19 pandemic being at the center of discussion on future policies, soil and forest protection must be key elements in the preventive measures to avoid new pandemics – deforestation and soil contamination have been proven to be one of the catalyzers of the spreading of the pandemic. Now is time to act and take preventive measures to protect the environment.
Safer Phosphates™ therefore welcomes the European Commission’s efforts in targeting soil through several initiatives such as the Farm-to-Fork Strategy, the Biodiversity Strategy and the Zero Pollution Action plan for air, water & soil to be adopted in 2021. Indeed, improved soil performance allows to make high improvements both in terms of the economics and safety of food production.
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Every partner of Safer Phosphates™ is therefore fully committed to moving towards a sustainable use of fertiliser, keeping the soil fertile, clean and healthy for future generations. This line of action relies on providing the necessary tools in full support of the European environmental commitments by seeking to ensure the availability of low-cadmium product around the world.
As such, a proactive long-term approach in every aspect is taken and must be clearly detailed within the strategies of the European Commission´s plans for the future of our agriculture, particularly where it impacts nature and the environment by:
Informing the global community together of the problems linked to soil degradation and the risks to human health entailed by the use of fertilisers with high levels of toxic impurities.
Focusing on technology and its development to continue fostering targeted and more efficient use of phosphate fertilisers with low level of contaminants, reducing the quantity required per unit area.
Given the current health crisis, a number of EU policies will have to be more innovative and priorities will have to be reorganized. Safer Phosphates™ nevertheless stands for the importance of these policies and for not relegating them to a second position being as such essential policy decisions.
Michelle Lawrence,
COO of Kropz plc