Study by Policy Department A — ‘Economic Aspects of the Regulatory Framework in the Area of Fertilisers’

11.10.2017

Question for written answer P-006388-17
to the Commission
Rule 130
Pavel Poc (S&D) , Fredrick Federley (ALDE) , Stefan Eck (GUE/NGL) , Eleonora Evi (EFDD) , Martin Häusling (Verts/ALE)

In April 2017, Parliament’s Policy Department A published an in-depth study on the request of the Committee on the internal market and Consumer Protection (IMCO), in the context of the workshop on fertilising products.

Although the opinions expressed in this document are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position of the European Parliament, some of the conclusions are highly disputable and lack scientific backing.

Can the Commission comment in particular on the following statements?

1. ‘The expected additional costs of introducing mandatory or voluntary maximum threshold levels for cadmium in inorganic fertiliser are larger than the expected benefits’;

2. ‘Measuring cadmium concentration in food in combination with food consumption information seems to be a more cost-effective strategy’;

3. ‘[An alternative strategy to the proposed regulation could be] strengthening the monitoring of cadmium content in food products and providing consumers with information about avoiding high cadmium levels in food consumption’;

4. ‘A stronger regulation that increases the costs of producing inorganic fertiliser will in particular harm small-scale fertiliser producing companies and can significantly contribute to an acceleration in market concentration’.

Can the Commission comment on the overall quality of the abovementioned study?