- RENURE (REcovered Nitrogen from manURE) are a new type of fertilizer derived from processed natural fertilizers.
- In 2024, the European Commission prepared a draft directive introducing changes to Annex III of the Nitrates Directive, which provides that the use of processed natural fertilizers, the so-called RENURE will be possible under certain conditions in quantities exceeding the limit of 170 kg N/ha/year.
The need to create RENURE fertilizers arose from the specificity of agriculture in the Netherlands. These countries have a small area, very high population and high animal density. Therefore, these countries experience a high environmental burden of nitrates, which easily enter groundwater. Therefore, a solution was created that allows good use of the fertilizers produced and reduces the risk of nutrient outflow. RENURA fertilizers behave in the soil more like mineral fertilizers than natural ones. In addition, they have a greater use of nitrogen by plants, can be applied precisely and enable better use of nutrients.
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RENURE fertilizers. Consultations on changes to the Nitrates Directive
Processed natural fertilizers
As we read in the new Set of Recommendations for Good Agricultural Practice, designed to protect waters against nitrate pollution from agricultural sources, developed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, RENURE fertilizers can be produced using the following technologies: by processing natural fertilizers in a physical, chemical or biological manner , other than merely mixing, drying, diluting, granulating and/or storing, in which the inorganic nitrogen content must increase in relation to the total nitrogen content (organic + inorganic). The production process should guarantee constant quality, and such fertilizers must be of high quality ensuring high yields and low leaching losses.
What do the regulations say about RENURE fertilizers?
RENURE means REcovered Nitrogem from manURE (nitrogen recovered from manure) means "any substance containing nitrogen wholly or partially obtained from animal manure in the process of its processing, which may be used in areas where nitrogen pollution of water occurs, in accordance with the regulations identical to the rules applicable to nitrogen-containing chemical fertilizers as defined in the Nitrates Directive (91/676/EEC).
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The new nitrates directive will allow the limit to be increased
In 2024, the European Commission prepared a draft directive introducing changes to Annex III of the Nitrates Directive, which provides that the use of processed natural fertilizers, the so-called RENURE will be possible under certain conditions in quantities exceeding the limit of 170 kg N/ha/year.
This decision was supported by the European Commission's Joint Research Center (JRC). Many scientific studies show that RENURE fertilizers have a similar nitrogen leaching potential and agronomic effectiveness as mineral fertilizers, but a smaller share in nitrate leaching into water compared to natural fertilizers.
However, it should be remembered that legislative work is still ongoing in the European Commission on the draft directive introducing changes to Annex III of the Nitrates Directive in the scope of the application of the so-called RENURE fertilizers.
Only after the final version of the project is adopted by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union and the publication of new regulations will it be possible to introduce national regulations setting the conditions for the legal use of RENURE fertilizers in quantities exceeding the limit of 170 kg N/ha/year.
