Copa and Cogeca Urge EU to Reconsider Sanctions on Fertilizer Imports from Russia and Belarus Amid Food Security Concerns

A medium-term strategy is crucial for ensuring EU food security, accompanied by urgent measures to mitigate the severe economic damage facing farmers, warn Copa and Cogeca, the leading agricultural unions and cooperatives in the EU.

In a strong response to the European Commission’s recent proposal to impose sanctions on fertilizer imports from Russia and Belarus, Copa and Cogeca voiced serious concerns over the potential economic fallout such a move could have on EU agriculture.

The proposal, which lacks a proper impact assessment, places EU farmers and their cooperatives in a deadlock, with no viable alternatives or solutions currently available to replace these critical imports.

During the Praesidia meeting held last week, the two organizations acknowledged the geopolitical complexities and the strategic need for Europe to reduce its external dependencies. However, they emphasized the importance of short-term shock mitigation on the EU fertilizer market, alongside a diversification strategy for the medium term.

🔍 Key Demands from Copa and Cogeca:

• Diversify EU fertilizer suppliers, boost domestic production, and promote greener alternatives, including circular economy solutions such as manure and digestate.
• Immediately remove import duties on fertilizers from third countries other than Russia and Belarus.
• Prioritize manure use by granting derogations under the Nitrates Directive limits for manure on treated pastures.
• Postpone implementation of proposed tariff changes by at least one year to allow the market to adapt.
• Restrict the scope of the measure to nitrogen-based fertilizers only.
• Avoid overlap with existing anti-dumping measures and the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).
• Increase pre-war import quotas to ease supply constraints.

Copa and Cogeca also advocate for enhanced price monitoring and the automatic activation of reliable safeguard measures whenever fertilizer prices surpass critical thresholds.

🧪 Fertilizers: A Vital Input for Food Sovereignty

Fertilizers are essential inputs for both crop production and pastures, representing a significant cost factor for European farmers. Disruptions in this market risk compromising not only economic sustainability, but also food sovereignty and supply chain resilience across the continent.

The organizations are calling for an urgent impact assessment to understand the full scope of the consequences, stressing that EU agriculture cannot afford reckless experimentation with such high-stakes policy decisions.

Without timely adjustments, Copa and Cogeca warn, the current proposal could lead to damaging consequences as early as summer 2025. (Photo: AI Generator)