Legislation

Safe and sustainable use of nitrogen stabilisers

In the EU, all registered urease and nitrification inhibitors fulfil the requirements of REACH and the EU Fertilising Product Regulation, ensuring that their handling, storage and use do not pose unreasonable risks to users or the environment. The use of nitrogen stabiliser also help achieve EU environmental ambition supported, for example, by the NEC Directive or the Nitrates Directive.

Urease and nitrification inhibitors are registered under REACH, the European regulation on chemical substances (Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006). Moreover, both inhibitors and fertilising products containing inhibitors are regulated under the Fertilising Product Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2019/1009) establishing specific requirements for fertilisers to bear the CE marking.

Thanks to their contribution to meeting ammonia reduction targets, urease inhibitors are considered mandatory or best practice recommendations in countries including Germany, Denmark, France, Poland and Ireland.

Nitrogen stabilisers are also listed within the Common Agricultural Policy strategic plans of several EU member states such as Spain.

In Greece farmers will get incentives (eco schemes) in case of use of nitrogen fertilisers treated with nitrogen stabilisers .