Effectbeoordeling van invoering van Verordening EU/2019/1009 op de aanvoer van zware metalen in Nederland

Regulation (EU) 2019/1009 on the making available on the market of EU fertilising products (the Fertilising ProductsRegulation, FPR) will enter into force on 16 July 2022. This raises questions about the need for or benefit of amending the Dutch Fertiliser Act (Meststoffenwet). Fertilising products contain contaminants, both organic and inorganic, and these are unavoidably introduced into the soil when the fertilising product is applied. This report presents calculations of the impacts of this new EU legislation on the heavy metal load under a number of scenarios. The emphasis is on quantifying the possible future metal loads if fertilising product quality is determinedby the standards under the FPR. We compare these results with the current heavy metal loads and the loads as regulated under the Fertiliser Act using partially new data on fertilising products. In addition, we evaluate the consequences of the growing use of new raw materials in fertilising products, such as biochar, wood ash and struvite, as included in the FPR. Finally, in view of the risks to human health and the environment, we evaluate the possibilities of using maximum residue limits in food and feed as the basis for deriving fertiliser standards.