European Consortium of the Organic-Based Fertilizer Industry (ECOFI)

ECOFI members transform waste streams from a variety of value chains - such as livestock and poultry farming, food and feed production, and tanning and leather industries, to name but a few - into high-quality organic-based fertilisers. These products provide farmers with reliable amounts of nutrients and carbon content to enhance the health of their agricultural soils while growing quality, nutritious food. However, ECOFI members have been faced with regulatory challenges due to missing materials in the EU’s Fertilising Products Regulation, particularly in the Component Material Category 10 dealing with Animal By-Products. ECOFI continues to advocate on behalf of its members on the Qlab technical study on the inclusion of new materials in Component Material Category 10 in Annex II of the EU's Fertilising Product Regulation. This study commissioned by DG GROW of the European Commission is an important step in helping the EU achieve its aspirations of a European #CircularEconomy and ensuring farmers have access to high-quality organic-based fertilisers. Organic-based fertilisers made from animal by-products have an important role to play in building Europe’s #FoodSecurity and promoting European #SoilHealth. ECOFI’s manifesto calls on the European Commission to ensure policy coherence to enable innovative agri-businesses, such as ECOFI’s members, to fulfil the EU’s vision of a circular economy. If you would like more information about current work by QLAB and the European Commission on Animal By-Products in the EU Regulation, find out about how you can join ECOFI and take part in this work on our website www.ecofi.info/join-ecofi/ Read more: https://lnkd.in/eg6vwWE5

Organic-based fertilisers are prime examples of the #CircularEconomy in action. ECOFI’s members transform by-products from other value chains into high-quality fertilising products, helping prevent nutrient losses while also benefiting farmers. Current regulatory barriers – such as those restricting the use of materials like animal by-products in organic-based fertilisers – are preventing the true realisation of the European circular economy in food and farming. The European institutions need to act on President von der Leyen’s priority of creating a circular and resilient economy by ensuring policy coherence of the proposed Circular Economy Act with all other existing and upcoming agricultural and environmental policies so as to promote agricultural innovation and support agri-businesses in Europe. Organic-based fertilisers are a vital tool for helping farmers remain competitive in the transition to a more sustainable future for European agriculture and to promote European soil health. The European Parliament and European Commission must place innovation in circularity at the heart of their 2024 to 2029 work plan to support the agricultural sector, improve our food security and reduce nutrient losses and pollution. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eg6vwWE5

ECOFI is delighted to welcome our new member, OvinAlp! OvinAlp is a French company founded in 1988. OvinAlp draws from the history of their home base, the Alps, when creating their organic and organo-mineral fertilisers. OvinAlp's products are grounded in the principles of the circular economy, using migon, sheep manure from the Alps from extensive breeding, to create their high-quality fertilisers. These fertilisers help farmers enrich their soil and encourage natural, balanced, and effective agricultural practices. ECOFI looks forward to working with OvinAlp to improve access to market for organic-based fertilisers and promote the role of these products in the transition to a more sustainable and competitive future for Europe's farmers. #OrganicBasedFertiliser #NewMember

Last week, Ursula von der Leyen was reelected as EU Commission President and released her political guidelines for the 2024 to 2029 legislative period. ECOFI welcomes the importance these guidelines give to the issues of #Competitiveness and #FoodSecurity. Organic-based fertilisers and organic soil improvers are innovative and high-quality products that can help the EU ♻️ Achieve its vision of a circular economy 🍎 Promote European food security 🚜 Support farmer competitiveness and livelihoods 🌱 Improve soil health and soil biodiversity To achieve the full potential of organic-based fertilisers and organic soil improvers, the EU must 1️⃣ Put agricultural innovation at the centre of the new European legislative term 2️⃣ Put innovation in circularity at the heart of their ambitions for 2024 - 2029 and ensure policy coherence to support the circular economy 3️⃣ Ensure high-quality organic-based fertilisers are given equal access to the European single market 4️⃣ Provide farmers with an enabling framework and concrete policy incentives to ensure access to and uptake of organic-based fertilisers To learn more about ECOFI and how our key policy asks align with President von der Leyen's political guidelines, you can check out our website: https://lnkd.in/eZMq54x5

Today, Jessica Fitch represented ECOFI as a panel member in a workshop hosted by Qlab. The workshop focused on the ongoing technical study on the inclusion of new materials in Component Material Category 10 in Annex II of the EU's Fertilising Product Regulation. This workshop was an excellent opportunity for ECOFI members to continue their engagement with the European Commission and QLab on this critical issue, raise some industry concerns, and hear from other industry and academic experts. Current regulatory barriers, such as the absence of animal by-products in CMC 10 of the Fertilising Products Regulation, prevent the realisation of a European #CircularEconomy in this sector. ECOFI members can help reduce nutrient losses and bolster the EU's strategic autonomy by taking by-products - such as animal by-products - and turning them into high-quality fertilising products, which can help improve farmer competitiveness and enhance the health of our agricultural soils. That is why, alongside our work on this study, ECOFI's manifesto also calls on the EU Commission and European Parliament to put innovation in circularity at the heart of their 2024-2029 work and ensure policy coherence across EU regulations. ECOFI welcomes the inclusion of the importance of the circular economy in Ursula von der Leyen's political guidelines for the next European Commission 2024 - 2029. By recycling animal by-products and turning them into organic-based fertilisers, ECOFI members help bolster the EU's strategic autonomy while also helping farmers promote Europe's food security. To read ECOFI's manifesto, check out our website: https://lnkd.in/g6gytjgA To find out more about the current situation of organic-based fertilisers containing animal by-products and their access to the EU market, get in touch!

🚨 Today, ECOFI is launching its #manifesto! Our manifesto calls on the #EuropeanParliament and #EuropeanCommission to support the work of the #OrganicBasedFertiliser sector. The #OrganicBasedFertiliser sector needs the EU's support to help provide farmers with high-quality fertilisers and soil improvers to ensure they can remain competitive while producing food more sustainably 👨🌾 👩🌾 . You can find our manifesto on our brand new website! 🎉 ➡ https://lnkd.in/g6gytjgA The European Parliament is currently holding the first plenary session of the new legislative term. MEPs will vote tomorrow on Ursula von der Leyen's nomination for a second term as European Commission President. Now, the work begins for the next five-year legislative term. The European Parliament and European Commission must make #competitiveness and #sustainability the heart of their work over the next five years, particularly in agriculture 🚜 . To do this, the EU must: 1. Put agricultural innovation at the centre of the new European legislative term 2. Put innovation in circularity at the heart of their ambitions for 2024 - 2029 and ensure policy coherence to support the circular economy 3. Ensure high-quality organic-based fertilisers are given equal access to the European single market 4. Provide farmers with an enabling framework and concrete policy incentives to ensure access to and uptake of organic-based fertilisers

Happy #BiodiversityDay 🐝 🌱 🌍   Today’s theme for the International Day for Biological Diversity is all about building back biodiversity!   #OrganicBasedFertilisers have an important role to play in helping to improve our soil's biological diversity. Organic-based fertilisers help promote sustainable agricultural practices and are an example of the circular economy in action.   Nurturing soil health is key to protecting our #biologicaldiversity! To ensure organic-based fertilisers can work to support European farmers, the EU needs - to put innovation in circularity at the heart of their ambitions for 2024 2029 and prioritise policy coherence - to guarantee products like organic-based fertilisers (OBFs) are given equal access to the European market - to provide farmers with an enabling framework and concrete policy incentives to ensure access to and uptake of OBFs   If you’d like to learn more about ECOFI and the role of organic-based fertilisers in biodiversity, check out our website, www.ecofi.info or contact us!

🎉 Welcome Violleau! 🎉 ECOFI is delighted to welcome our new member Violleau which is a part of the Tessenderlo Group!  Violleau produces #OrganicBasedFertilisers and organic soil improvers and provides consulting services to help customers optimise their plant nutrition products.  ECOFI are excited to work together with Violleau and all our members to propel the organic-based fertiliser industry to new heights! 

Today, the EU’s Animal By-Products Regulation is not conducive to the development of a functioning circular economy in Europe. ECOFI members are committed to the principles of the circular economy, but many are restricted from placing their organic-based fertilising products on the market due to incoherent and disjointed policies that hinder farmer access to recycled, organic sources of plant nutrients. ➡ This is why ECOFI has signed EBIC (European Biostimulants Industry Council) open letter about the EU’s Animal By-Product regulation titled ‘The EU needs an approach to materials from animal origin in the food chain that is fit for the Circular Economy’ along with fourteen other organisations representing the agroindustry and consumer organisations.   ECOFI and the other co-signatories, “call on the Commission to include a work item in its 2024-2029 work program to undertake a comprehensive review of the European Union’s approach to the regulation of materials from animal origin”. The EU need to promote circular innovation to allow sectors like the organic-based fertiliser industry to place their products on the market and help support the EU’s food security and strategic autonomy through revalorisation of organic waste and by-products. The best way the EU can do this is to provide a safe and coherent path to market for such products. To read the open letter ⬇ https://lnkd.in/ezZnC-hk EBIC (European Biostimulants Industry Council) European Compost Network e.V. European Biogas Association EFPRA FEFAC ESPP European Sustainable Phosphorus Platform Growing Media Europe AISBL AEFA | Asociación Española de Fabricantes de Agronutrientes AFAÏA Industrieverband Agrar e. V. (IVA) Hellenic Fertilizers' Association (S.P.E.L) UPJ (Union des Entreprises pour la Protection des Jardins et des Espaces Publics) Consumer Choice Center EUROFEMA

ECOFI was delighted to attend the launch of the Food Alert Simulation Workshop Report yesterday alongside Charlotte Epinay from Food Fermentation Europe and Catherine Geslain-Lanéelle, Director of Strategy & Policy Analysis at DG Agriculture and Rural Development at the Permanent Representation of the Netherlands. As part of the event, ECOFI – represented by Jessica Fitch – spoke about the recent crises that had affected the organic-based fertiliser sector, including the difficulties the industry faced in accessing the raw materials they needed during COVID-19, as well as more recent implications from disruptions to global fertiliser markets. These are just some examples of why we need more preparedness and resilience built into our food systems.   Food Alert’s report looked at the outcomes of their simulation stress test of the EU food systems they held in February, which sought to explore how the EU would cope with a major climate event that disrupted its food chain. Thank you, Food Alert, for inviting us to speak at your event, and congratulations on the launch of your new report! 🎉