Faculty of Technical Sciences

TY - JOUR

T1 - The new fertilizer regulation

T2 - a starting point for cadmium control in European arable soils?

AU - Marini, Michele

AU - Caro, Dario

AU - Thomsen, Marianne

PY - 2020/11

Y1 - 2020/11

N2 - Bioaccumulation of cadmium (Cd) in the agricultural soil constitutes a dangerous risk for the health of both the environment and humans. Especially in the European Union, a large amount of Cd in agricultural topsoil originates from mineral fertilizer application. In this context, the EU has recently adopted the Regulation (EU) 2019/1009 with the aim to establish stricter limits for Cd presence in fertilizer products and to promote a higher use of fertilizers from organic sources. This paper discusses the future implications of the new regulation to limit the presence of cadmium (Cd) in agricultural soils and food products. The Regulation (EU) 2019/1009 represents an important step of the EU circular economy action plan with its aim to encourage the production of low cadmium content fertilizers. This paper focuses on the limits of the Regulation (EU) 2019/1009 and on the need for complementary policy instruments to protect and conserve agricultural soil health. We highlight the recently proposed, and subsequently withdrawn, EU Soil Framework Directive (SFD) as a meaningful complementary policy tool in the context of a renewed effort to pursue protection and conservation of soil health.

AB - Bioaccumulation of cadmium (Cd) in the agricultural soil constitutes a dangerous risk for the health of both the environment and humans. Especially in the European Union, a large amount of Cd in agricultural topsoil originates from mineral fertilizer application. In this context, the EU has recently adopted the Regulation (EU) 2019/1009 with the aim to establish stricter limits for Cd presence in fertilizer products and to promote a higher use of fertilizers from organic sources. This paper discusses the future implications of the new regulation to limit the presence of cadmium (Cd) in agricultural soils and food products. The Regulation (EU) 2019/1009 represents an important step of the EU circular economy action plan with its aim to encourage the production of low cadmium content fertilizers. This paper focuses on the limits of the Regulation (EU) 2019/1009 and on the need for complementary policy instruments to protect and conserve agricultural soil health. We highlight the recently proposed, and subsequently withdrawn, EU Soil Framework Directive (SFD) as a meaningful complementary policy tool in the context of a renewed effort to pursue protection and conservation of soil health.

KW - Cadmium

KW - EU policies

KW - Food safety

KW - Soil framework directive

KW - Soil health protection

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85088508357&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140876

DO - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140876

M3 - Comment/debate/letter to the editor

C2 - 32726694

AN - SCOPUS:85088508357

VL - 745

JO - Science of the Total Environment

JF - Science of the Total Environment

SN - 0048-9697

M1 - 140876

ER -