On 19 May 2026, Commissioner for Agriculture Christophe Hansen, alongside Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto, presented the EU Fertiliser Action Plan, a package of short-term relief and long-term structural measures aimed at tackling soaring fertiliser prices and reducing the bloc's dependence on imports. The plan includes a substantial financial support package for farmers to be delivered before summer via an amending budget in June, as well as legislative proposals to give Member States more flexibility in managing their Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) plans, including options to redirect unused funds to liquidity schemes and accelerate advance payments. Hansen stressed that fertiliser prices are 70% higher than in 2024, and that farmers face critical decisions on planting and input purchases in the coming months.
Short-term relief and regulatory flexibility
The Commission will propose targeted changes to the current CAP to allow Member States to redirect unused funds to new liquidity schemes and pay annual CAP payments in advance with reduced bureaucracy. Hansen said the combination of the agricultural reserve and national plan flexibility should provide enough cashflow to keep farms running. The plan also calls on Member States to develop new or updated eco-schemes and agri-environmental measures under their CAP Strategic Plans, focusing on fertilisation efficiency, sustainable use of recycled nutrients, and farm resilience. On the nitrates directive, the Commission will provide clarifications to allow Member States to adapt rules on so-called calendar farming – periods when manure spreading is permitted – to changing climate conditions.
Reducing import dependency and boosting home-grown alternatives
A central pillar of the plan is reducing the EU's structural reliance on imported fertilisers, notably urea, of which two-thirds are imported. The Commission will assess the regulatory framework to strengthen the business case for bio-based and circular fertilisers, including digestate from biogas production, algae biomass, microbial solutions, and nutrient recovery from sewage sludge. Measures under consideration include voluntary and mandatory labelling schemes and minimum blending requirements with low-carbon or bio-based content. Preparatory work on facilitating the use of digestates is already underway, with the aim of providing practical solutions by the next growing season.
EU Fertilisers Value Chain Partnership and market transparency
The plan introduces an EU Fertilisers Value Chain Partnership, a structured forum bringing together fertiliser producers, farmers, and Member States to ensure predictable supplies, demand, and policy conditions for investment. The Commission will strengthen market monitoring and early-warning mechanisms, and maintain the Fertilisers Market Observatory as the central platform for market intelligence. In the context of the upcoming ETS review, the Commission will examine options for additional flexibility for the fertiliser value chain, linked to responsibilities to decarbonise production and increase output of bio-based and circular fertilisers.
Stakeholder impacts and trade-offs
The plan balances support for farmers with incentives for industry transformation. Farmers benefit from immediate financial relief and greater flexibility in CAP payments, but may face higher costs if bio-based alternatives remain more expensive than imported chemical fertilisers. Fertiliser producers gain a structured partnership and potential ETS flexibility, but are expected to decarbonise and shift toward circular production. EU taxpayers and Member States bear the cost of the financial support package and potential CAP reallocations, while gaining reduced strategic dependence on imports. Environmental groups may welcome the push for organic and recycled nutrients, but the plan's emphasis on digestate and bio-based solutions could raise concerns about land-use competition and emissions from biogas production. Overall, the plan represents a moderate shift toward EU strategic autonomy in fertilisers, with concrete short-term financial commitments but long-term structural changes still dependent on legislative processes and ETS review outcomes.
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