22 January 2024
The EU Council and the European Parliament reached today a provisional deal on the regulation for digital labelling of fertilising products. This proposal, which amends the currently applicable legislation, aims to introduce the possibility to opt for digital label on EU fertilising products, to improve the readability of labels, leading to a more efficient use of fertilizing products, and to simplify the labelling obligations for suppliers while reducing costs for the industry.
The provisional agreement reached today encourages the wider use of digital labelling while including measures to provide physical labels when they are most needed.The agreement also specifies that digital labels will be available for a period of 10 years from the moment that the product is placed on the market.
This regulation reinforces the digitalisation of the fertilisers’ sector and at the same time it makes sure that farmers and other costumers – including those with limited digital skills – get clear, readable and consumer-friendly information when they purchase the products they need.
David Clarinval, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for the Self-Employed, SMEs and Agriculture, Institutional Reforms and Democratic Renewal
Commission proposal
The revision of this legislation proposes allowing suppliers of fertilising products to communicate labelling information in a physical format, a digital format, or a combination of the two. The Commission’s text proposes that a digital-only format will be allowed when the EU fertilising products are sold without packaging or when the products are sold to economic operators who are not end-users of the products.
Farmers and other consumers of fertilising products sold in packaging would continue to benefit from both digital and physical labels for the most important information (i.e. health and environmental protection, agronomic efficiency or contents). The Commission’s proposal prescribes the content and the technological requirements for digital labels. The economic operators would have to ensure that the digital label will be searchable, accessible, free of charge and capable of meeting the needs of vulnerable groups.
Main elements of the agreement
The provisional agreement reached today by the two co-legislators, promotes the wider use of digital labelling to reduce the costs, bureaucracy, and environmental footprint of producers, but ensures that consumers, including vulnerable groups or people with limited digital competences, have all the information they need through physical means.
Today’s provisional agreement allows the use of digital labels for products sold without packaging (in bulk), provided that the information of the label is also displayed in physical format in a visible place at the point of sale.
The co-legislators have decided to enlarge the availability of digital labels to a duration of 10 years from the moment that the product is placed on the market.
Finally, the provisional agreement brings back to the physical label a certain set of information about the agronomic efficiency of the fertilizing products that are described in Annex III of the regulation. The Commission would be empowered to update the general digital labelling requirements through delegated acts in the future.
Next steps
The provisional agreement reached with the European Parliament now needs to be endorsed and formally adopted by both institutions.
Background
Digital labels are QR or a bar codes that redirects the user to a web page where the information of the label is stored. Digital solutions reduce substantially the cost of labelling and at the same time makes it easy to update its content. Furthermore, the quantity and quality of the information that can be stored in a digital label is much higher compared with a physical label, whose readability can prove difficult, especially small packages. However, the level of digital literacy varies among social groups and ages, and some vulnerable groups may have difficulties to understand the functioning of digital labels or smart devices.
In the EU, digital labelling is already used for some products containing chemicals, for instance batteries, and rules for digital labelling are under consideration for other products (i.e. detergents, cosmetics and other chemicals). The simplification of labelling obligations is expected to reduce annual costs by, on average, €57 000 for a large company and €4 500 for an SME.
Up until now, regulation (EU) 2019/1009 has governed the requirements for the labelling of fertilisers. The Commission’s proposal, published on 27 February 2023, aims to improve the readability of labels, introducing the possibility to provide labelling information in a digital format.
Source – EU Council
Agreement on harmonised EU rules for digital labels for fertilisers
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Voluntary digital labelling of fertilising products in the EU
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Improved accessibility for end-users, in particular for people with disabilities and people with limited digital skills
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Reduced packaging waste and labelling costs
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Safeguards to ensure high level of protection of human, animal and plant health, and the environment
The new rules aim to improve the readability of labels for fertilising product and introduce an option for economic operators to provide labelling information in a digital format.
On Monday, negotiators from Parliament and the Council reached a political agreement on new rules laying down the digital labelling requirements applicable to EU fertilising products. The agreement, which updates the current rules on fertilising products, allows suppliers that comply with EU health, safety and environmental standards (CE-marked) to provide more information to economic operators or to consumers via a digital label.
Digital labelling will allow for more targeted information and diverse reading options for end-users (increased font, automatic search, loud speakers or translation). At the same time, it will streamline the labelling process for economic operators – making it easier to update labels, reducing packaging waste and increasing overall competitiveness.
Voluntary, user-friendly and safe digital labels
Under the agreed rules, digital labelling will be voluntary, meaning that manufacturers and importers can chose whether to provide the labelling information in a physical format, a digital format or a combination of the two. The options will depend on whether the fertilising products are intended for economic operators or end-users and whether they are supplied with or without packaging. On the initiative of MEPs, SMEs will be provided with guidance and training programmes to develop the skills and capabilities to comply with the rules.
If digital labels are used, economic operators will have to ensure their accessibility and high level of consumer protection. In particular, digital labels should be available free of charge, easy to access and searchable. Parliament insisted that essential information, such as health and environmental safety, needs to be easily understandable and accessible to persons with disabilities and with low digital skillset. Negotiators also agreed that digital labels must be available for a period of 10 years, from the moment the product was put on the market.
Access to essential information
Negotiators agreed to simplify certain provisions and to ensure consumers and farmers are well informed before making a purchase. In order to ensure a high level of protection of human, animal and plant health and the environment, when the fertilising product is intended for end-users, the most important information, such as information about the agronomic efficiency, the use of the product and its safety, must be provided in both a digital and physical format.
Digital labels can contain information on greenhouse gas emissions in the production process, the impact of the fertiliser and its agro-ecological efficiency. In addition, digital labels can include recommendations of the use of fertilising products and best practices to limit nutrient losses.
Quote
Rapporteur Maria Grapini (S&D, Romania) said: “We made sure that the digital label will be easy to understand and accessible to all the consumers, including vulnerable groups and people with disabilities, while ensuring a high level of protection for human, animal and plant health and the environment, without increasing costs excessively for businesses. Parliament managed to include in the agreement additional support for business to help them develop the appropriate skills and capabilities to comply with this regulation”.
Next steps
Today’s agreement needs to be formally agreed by Council and Parliament, before the regulation enters into force, and starts to apply 30 months thereafter.
Background
In the EU, digital labelling is already used for specific products, which contain chemical substances (e.g. batteries) and under consideration for others products, like detergents, cosmetics and chemicals. Current rules on fertilising products introduce extensive requirements for physical labels and user’s access to information. However, overloaded physical labels are tough to read by consumers and difficult and expensive to maintain by economic operators, as they may require frequent updates. The European Commission estimates the new rules could save between EUR 57,000 (for large companies) to EUR 4,500 (for SMEs) each year.