EU Launches Fertiliser Action Plan to Strengthen Food Security and Boost Circular Nutrients

Presenting the plan, Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen was direct: “Food security starts with fertiliser security.” The Action Plan responds to mounting pressure on European farmers from volatile fertiliser prices and supply disruptions driven by geopolitical shocks — challenges the Commission describes as a threat not only to farm viability, but to Europe’s food security as a whole.

The plan operates on three fronts. In the near term, the Commission will mobilise the EU agricultural reserve to provide immediate liquidity relief ahead of the next planting and harvesting season, alongside greater flexibility in Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) advance payments. Additional measures will target better nutrient management and stronger support through Farm Advisory Services.

On supply resilience and circularity, the plan sets out steps to reduce dependence on imported fertilisers by boosting domestic production and expanding the use of organic, bio-based and recycled nutrients. Digestate — a nutrient-rich by-product of biogas production — is explicitly highlighted, with the Commission committing to facilitate its use under appropriate environmental safeguards. Other pathways include nitrogen and phosphorus recovery from sewage sludge, algae biomass, biostimulants, and microbial solutions. Regulatory barriers slowing the uptake of these alternatives are also in scope for reduction.

To improve market functioning, the Commission will strengthen EU-level price monitoring and launch an EU Fertilisers Value Chain Partnership, bringing together producers, farmers and Member States in structured dialogue to shape viable solutions across the supply chain.

The plan also addresses Europe’s strategic dependencies directly. As Commissioner Hansen noted, the ongoing fossil fuel crisis demonstrates that climate leadership and economic resilience are inseparable. In that spirit, any flexibilities considered for the fertiliser sector under the Emissions Trading Scheme review will be tied to commitments to decarbonise production and scale up circular and bio-based fertiliser output.

For projects working at the intersection of circular nutrients and EU policy — including CiNURGi -— the Fertiliser Action Plan marks a significant step toward the policy environment needed to bring regional innovation to European scale.

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