POLITICO: EU turns to cow manure as fertilizer crisis deepens

The European Commission is preparing to unveil a long-term strategy aimed at reducing the bloc’s dependence on gas-based fertilizers by increasing the use of manure and agricultural waste, amid growing fears of a fertilizer crisis linked to the war involving Iran and rising energy prices, POLITICO reports.

The Commission’s plan, due to be presented on May 19, focuses on expanding the recycling of manure and farm waste into fertilizer rather than introducing immediate emergency measures to ease soaring costs for farmers.

The move comes as fertilizer prices have surged to around 70 percent above 2024 levels following disruptions in global gas markets after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz at the end of February. Europe produces most of its fertilizer using imported natural gas, leaving the sector vulnerable to geopolitical shocks.

The Commission’s approach has drawn criticism from lawmakers and farming organisations, who argue that farmers need immediate support rather than long-term policy frameworks.

Farmers “expected bold action,” said Veronika Vrecionová, chair of the European Parliament’s agriculture committee. “Roadmaps don’t pay the bills. Farmers need action, not intentions.”

José María Castilla of Spain’s largest farming organisation, ASAJA, echoed the criticism, warning that “European farmers cannot wait for another long-term roadmap while production costs continue to rise and European fertilizer capacity keeps disappearing.”

“The current crisis is not only about prices, it is about strategic autonomy, food security and the survival of European agriculture,” he added.

The Commission reportedly rejected faster relief measures because of political sensitivities. One option under consideration had been suspending tariffs on fertilizer imports from Russia and Belarus, but officials argued this could indirectly support Moscow’s war effort in Ukraine.

Another proposal — temporarily slowing implementation of the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) on imported fertilizers — was also abandoned after opposition from climate-focused departments within the Commission.

Instead, Brussels is pressing ahead with structural reforms, including changes to the EU’s Nitrates Directive that would expand the use of digestates, a byproduct of biogas production made from manure and organic waste.

Italian MEP Herbert Dorfmann said manure could help reduce dependence on traditional fertilizers but warned it was not a complete solution.

“Manure can be a contribution, but it can never substitute the urea-based, the nitrogen-based fertilizers,” he said.

Green lawmaker Thomas Waitz argued the EU still was not moving aggressively enough away from fossil-fuel-based fertilizers.

“How many more wake-up calls do we need?” Waitz said. “We keep talking about crises — energy, food, geopolitical — but we're ignoring the root cause: our addiction to fossil-based fertilizers.”

Despite concerns over rising prices, analysts note that fertilizer supplies for the current crop season had largely been secured before the conflict escalated.

By Vafa Guliyeva