Commission welcomes the political agreement on the voluntary digital labelling of EU fertilising products

The Commission welcomes the political agreement reached yesterday between the European Parliament and the Council on the voluntary digital labelling of EU fertilising products. The new rules will allow manufacturers and suppliers of CE-marked fertilising products that meet EU-wide standards for health, safety, and the environment to provide labelling information in digital form. This will ultimately foster a more efficient use of EU fertilising products. Simultaneously, the rules streamline labelling obligations for businesses, so that their costs will be reduced.

The voluntary nature of digital labelling provides flexibility for manufacturers and distributers to select their preferred mode of communication—whether through a physical format, a digital format, or a combination of both. For fertilising products sold in bulk, economic operators may opt for labelling digitally only if the information is posted physically at the point of sale.

Crucial information relevant for safety for human health and the environment will be maintained on a physical label for packaged products sold to end-users. End-users will always be able to request information on digital labels through alternative means.

This initiative is part of the Commission’s efforts to simplify the labels for products containing chemicals. Digital labelling is already in use for batteries, and is part of the revision of the Regulation on classification, labelling and packaging of chemicals.

Once formally adopted, the new rules will apply two and a half years after their entry into force to allow for technical rules to be developed in the meantime.