Foreseen changes of the Act of Fertilizers and Fertilization in Poland

The Ministry of Agriculture in Poland intends to change the Act of Fertilizers and Fertilization in order to introduce a new category of fertilizer products, i.e. a group of biogas products. These products will be placed on the market without the permission of the minister competent for agriculture, which will enable the producers to sell or use them without the need of any decision. Increasing the availability of fermentation products may positively affect the prices of organic fertilizer products and slightly lower the prices of organic fertilizers and natural fertilizers.

The draft amendments refer to:

  • reduction of administrative requirements for using  fermentation products from agricultural biogas plants;
  • limiting the administrative requirements for products resulting from the processing of livestock manure by allowing them to be placed on the market, without the obligation to obtain the permit of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development as "natural processed fertilizers";
  • exemption from the obligation to obtain ministerial permit for the placing on the market  substrates for crops made of peats or peats with the addition of fertilizers marked as "EC FERTILIZER" or other mineral fertilizers already admitted to trading within the EU;
  • liberalization of the provisions related to information on packages of fertilizers and plant conditioners (but it will be obligatory to include an information about on the share of waste or by-products);
  • exclusion from the provisions of the Act products containing only microorganisms with nutrient or stabilizer or without nutrient or stabilizer;
  • imposing on  entities to notify to the competent Voivodship Inspector for Trade Quality of Agricultural and Food Products (WIJHARS) about the intention of placing fertilizers, post-fermentation products,  excluding entities that already  introduced their products on the basis of permits of the Ministry of Agriculture;
  • imposing on entities an obligation to notify to the competent WIJHARS about the intention to place fertilizers or plant conditioners on the market on the basis of art. 5 of the Act;
  • imposing on the Main Inspector of Trade Quality of Agro-Food Products (GIJHARS) the obligation to keep a list of fertilizers or agents supporting the cultivation of plants or post-fermentation products.

The changes of the Act of Fertilizers and Fertilization are foreseen to come into force at the beginning of 2019, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.