Regulation (EU) 2019/1009 of the European Parliament and of the CouncilShow full title

CMC 9: POLYMERS OTHER THAN NUTRIENT POLYMERS U.K.

1. An EU fertilising product may contain polymers other than nutrient polymers only in cases where the purpose of the polymer is: U.K.

(a)

to control the water penetration into nutrient particles and thus the release of nutrients (in which case the polymer is commonly referred to as a ‘coating agent’),

(b)

to increase the water retention capacity or wettability of the EU fertilising product, or

(c)

to bind material in an EU fertilising product belonging to PFC 4.

2. From 16 July 2026, the polymers referred to in point 1(a) and (b) shall comply with the biodegradability criteria established by delegated acts referred to in Article 42(6). In the absence of such criteria, an EU fertilising product placed on the market after that date shall not contain such polymers. U.K.

3. For the polymers referred to in point 1(a) and (b), neither the polymer, nor its degradation by-products, shall show any overall adverse effect on animal or plant health, or on the environment, under reasonably foreseeable conditions of use in the EU fertilising product. The polymer shall pass a plant growth acute toxicity test, an earthworm acute toxicity test and a nitrification inhibition test with soil micro-organisms as follows: U.K.

(a)

In the plant growth acute toxicity test, the germination rate and the plant biomass of the tested plant species grown on the soil exposed to the test material shall be more than 90 % of the germination rate and the plant biomass of the same plant species grown on corresponding blank soil not exposed to the test material.

The results shall be considered to be valid only if in the controls (i.e. blank soil):

• the seedling emergence is at least 70 %;

• the seedlings do not exhibit visible phytotoxic effects (e.g. chlorosis, necrosis, wilting, leaf and stem deformations) and the plants exhibit only normal variation in growth and morphology for that particular species;

• the mean survival of emerged control seedlings is at least 90 % for the duration of the study; and

• environmental conditions for a particular species are identical and growing media contain the same amount of soil matrix, support media, or substrate from the same source.

(b)

In the earthworm acute toxicity test, the observed mortality and the biomass of surviving earthworms in a soil exposed to the test material shall not differ by more than 10 % compared to those from the corresponding blank soil not exposed to the test material. The results shall be considered to be valid, if:

• the percent mortality observed in the control (i.e. blank soil) is less than 10 %, and

• the average loss of biomass (mean weight) of the worms in the blank soil does not exceed 20 %.

(c)

In the nitrification inhibition test with soil micro-organisms, the nitrite formation in soil exposed to the test material shall be more than 90 % of those from the corresponding blank soil not exposed to the test material. The results shall be considered to be valid, if the variation between replicate control samples (blank soil) and test samples is less than 20 %.