Each farmer must have a fertilizer plan and a farm notebook, a measure included in the Royal Decree on sustainable nutrition in agricultural soils that has just been approved and will come into force on January 1, 2024.
The document, which will apply to all agricultural and forestry activities that directly or indirectly contribute nutrients to the soil, includes basic standards for “rationally fertilizing crops”, through minimum good agricultural practices that must be taken into account when apply nutrients to agricultural soils. Production units that do not exceed 10 hectares in area are exempted from this obligation, as long as they are rainfed or dedicated solely to pasture or forage crops for self-consumption.
In addition, with this decree, the central government creates the general register of manufacturers and other economic agents of fertilizer products, with the double objective of improving market surveillance, and facilitating the implementation of data collection that allows “improving the calculation of emissions into the atmosphere derived from the use of fertilizer products”. Among other issues, the royal decree regulates the profession of “fertilization advisor.”
Protocolo general
The regulations affect all agricultural and forestry activities that provide nutrients to the soil
Thus, the creation of the fertilizers section in the farm notebook and the minimum information that farmers must incorporate regarding the contribution of nutrients to agricultural soils, the minimum requirements of a subscriber plan, minimum good agricultural practices are established. , common to the national territory, to apply nutrients to agricultural soils regardless of their origin.
Another requirement is the creation of a register for phytosanitary treatments, so that each farm will keep the register of this type of practice updated.
Operators will also be encouraged to write down in the exploitation log the start date of the stacking of manure, organic fertilizer products and other materials of organic origin.
About fertilizers
The general register of fertilizer manufacturers is created and regulates the profession of “advisor”
The regulations will not apply to manure management conditions within the livestock farm facilities, but the application of manure to agricultural soils within this type of farm will be subject to the Royal Decree.
These practices, as stated in the Royal Decree, should advance the sustainable management of crop nutrition and the sustainable increase in agri-food production. It is also committed to maintaining organic matter in agricultural soils and avoiding water pollution caused by nitrates of agricultural origin and acting preventively against new contamination of this kind. This includes the accumulation of heavy metals and other pollutants in agricultural soils.
The regulation also provides for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, as well as increasing the carbon sink capacity of agricultural soils and their greater resilience to the impacts of climate change.
The objectives include preserving and improving the conditions of the species that make up the native biodiversity of agricultural soils and preserving the biodiversity linked to agricultural soils.
