Members of the EU Parliament vote to rein in toxic fertilisers

Years of use of mineral fertilisers rich in cadmium – a dangerous carcinogen – has polluted soil and the crops that grow our food, leading to major health and environmental problems. While reducing cadmium pollution from other sectors in the EU has been largely successful, farming remains the last major bastion of cadmium exposure.

Now, in a move welcomed by the European Environmental Bureau (EEB), the European Parliament has backed a Commission plan to limit the amount cadmium allowed in mineral fertiliser products sold across Europe. In a European Parliament plenary vote, MEPs voted in favour of the Commission proposal to reduce cadmium levels in fertilisers to 20mg/kg. Shamefully, some MEPS were pushing for a 60mg/kg limit and even an 80mg/kg limits.

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