Unión de Uniones, after learning about a new version of the Royal Decree project establishing standards for sustainable nutrition in agricultural soils, has sent its proposals to the Ministry with the aim of reformulating the proposals that will most harm farmers and farmers and that they have a longer period to adapt to it.
The organization insists that an improvement in fertilization management provides not only environmental and climatic benefits, but may also have the potential to
generate economic improvements in the farms. However, numerous provisions that are proposed in the Royal Decree could destroy the interest of this management improvement: the new version of the Royal Decree project continues to generate complexity in its application, completely expendable bureaucracy, and costs for farms, in some cases of great magnitude, such as the purchase of machinery for the application of manure and slurry, given the prohibitions of certain systems that are proposed.
For this reason, and although the Ministry has accepted proposals from the Union of Unions, such as the possibility of carrying out fertilizer plans or estimating the nutrient content of manure through computer programs, which will mean cost savings in terms of analysis of laboratory or advice, in a current context of serious economic fragility of farms; Unión de Uniones insists on its key proposals that would facilitate the implementation of the Royal Decree without generating a great impact on the exploitations.
In the first place, the organization insists that the requirements contained in this RD go beyond European standards, therefore, if they are not compensated, we will be in an artificial situation of worse competitive conditions compared to other member states, so it is They call for support measures to make the changes that are proposed.
Secondly, given the great changes that this Royal Decree seeks: to carry out subscriber plans, a whole new and extensive section of the exploitation notebook related to fertilization, to have advice … from Unión de Uniones it is requested that the Royal Decree does not enter into valid until 2028 to facilitate a progressive and non-abrupt transition proposed by the ministry: the irrigation sectors must have subscriber plans, among other requirements, starting in 2023.
On the other hand, the organization denounces that, against the efforts in favor of the circular economy and the incorporation of carbon into the soil through organic fertilizers, the Royal Decree continues to be especially harmful for those producers, such as organic ones, who use this type of fertilizers, despite the small advances proposed by Unión de Uniones, there is still a greater degree of regulatory, bureaucratic and investment requirements in machinery for those producers who are committed to valuing manure, slurry and other organic fertilizers.
Finally, the organization regrets that the MAPA has chosen the route of regulatory imposition instead of the incentive alternative, training the farmer and his
awareness, which would have been a more effective way to achieve better nutrition of agricultural soils.
This is why the Unión de Uniones proposes, among a set of some fifty observations, the comprehensive review of the Royal Decree to avoid demands, complexities, costs and unnecessary bureaucracy, especially for producers who bet on organic fertilization; and delay its entry into force until 2028 and encourage its implementation in order to facilitate a progressive transition from the standard.
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