Contaminants in fertilisers :Assessment of the risks from their presence and socio-economic impacts of a possible restriction under REACH : final report

Fertilisers may contain contaminants/impurities or intentionally added substances of concern that can impact human health and the environment, e.g., through contamination of groundwater, surface water and drinking water, accumulation in crops or animal stock, etc. Such contaminants/impurities and intentionally added substances of concern are partly addressed in the new Fertilising Products Regulation (EU) 2019/1009 that sets requirements for the different categories of products. Not all potential contaminants/impurities or intentionally added substances of concern are indeed covered. In addition, the Fertilising Products Regulation does not cover fertilising products marketed under national rules. In case considered necessary to address certain identified risks for human health and/or the environment, the idea is to assess whether the REACH Regulation (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and restriction of Chemicals) could be used. Previous activities being carried out by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) in the field of fertilisers (e.g., preparation of the Annex XV dossier for the restriction of calcium cyanamide) have raised some questions on how a regulatory management option analysis (RMOA) and analysis of alternatives (AOA) could be best conducted. Under that context, The European Commission – Directorate General Environment commissioned this study to Arcadis and Arcadia International E.E.I.G. together with DHI and Michel Vander Straeten Consulting Services. The study has three separated but interlinked objectives: 1) To assess the presence of contaminants/impurities in fertilisers and to produce a pre-RMOA and a pre-Annex XV dossier for the ones presenting potential risks to human health and the environment (Task 1). 2) To identify potential fertilisers of concern as a result of the effects of their constituents or their degradation products on the environment, including contamination of natural resources, or on human health via the environment; and to assess the possibilities for substitution (Task 2); and 3) To assess the challenges of an analysis of alternatives for fertilisers (Task 3).