Regulation (EU) 2019/1009 is laying down rules on the making available of EU fertilising products on the market. It amends Regulations (EC) No 1069/2009 and (EC) No 1107/2009 and repealing Regulation (EC) No 2003/2003. The regulation requires third party conformity assessment for many products covered by it. Accreditation of Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs) is required so that fertilising products can be placed on the EU Single Market. The regulation will enter into force from 16 July 2022, and the lack of Notified Bodies to date is problematic.
Three months ago, EA launched a survey about EA National Accreditation Bodies (NAB) activity regarding the Fertilising Products Regulation. Only 4 NABs had received an application, and it is reported that no accreditation has been delivered yet, therefore there are not any Notified Bodies available at the moment. Time is flying and manufacturers get anxious. This is creating a critical issue for them when the regulation will enter into force. Even if there would be a few Notified Bodies, all manufacturers would have to go to these bodies for the conformity assessment, creating a bottle neck, which will lead to the situation that the fertilising products cannot be placed on the market.
On 21st September 2021, a workshop “EU Fertilising Products Regulation (FPR) and Notified Bodies” was organised by the European Commission (EC). It gathered 160 participants representing Conformity Assessments Bodies and manufacturers, and aimed to present the steps to be followed to perform conformity assessment procedures under the new rules. EA was invited by the EC to present the European Accreditation Infrastructure and the accreditation requirements for Notified Bodies set out in the FPR for mandatory application.
In order to ensure that the fertilising products can be placed on the market even after the 16th of July 2022, the CABs shall apply for accreditation to their National Accreditation Body as soon as possible. Only when the CABs are accredited, they can apply for notification and afterwards perform the required conformity assessment of the fertilising products.