Phosphorus – the hidden risk in Europe’s food chain 

Europe has only one active phosphate mine, located in Finland. It covers only a small fraction of the EU’s total demand. The remaining phosphorus is imported from countries like Morocco and Russia. Many of these suppliers are either politically unstable or authoritarian regimes. 

Despite the war in Ukraine, EU imports of phosphorus from Russia continued to rise in the first six months of 2025. This means that, while sanctions have targeted other Russian exports, one of the most strategic raw materials for Europe’s food production still flows from Russian mines to European fields. 

Such dependency is risky. Phosphorus has no substitute, and disruptions to supply could have immediate effects on food prices and production across Europe. What may seem like a technical resource issue is, in fact, a question of food security, geopolitics, and economic resilience. 

“It is deeply troubling that the EU has become more dependent on phosphorus from Russian mines,” says Pär Larshans, Chief Sustainability Officer at the Ragn-Sells Group. ”If  Europe is serious about building resilience and safeguarding its food security, we must stop relying on imported raw materials and start recovering the phosphorus we already have in our wastewater.”  

Europe has the technology needed to break this dependency. By recovering phosphorus from wastewater and sewage sludge ash, we can build a secure, circular supply within the EU – reducing reliance on imported raw materials and creating new green industries. 

At Ragn-Sells, we believe that circular solutions like this are key to Europe’s long-term resilience. The resources we need are already here – we just need recover them. 

“Closing the loop on phosphorus is not just about the environment – it’s about European security and competitiveness. No phosphorus means no food. We must start treating phosphorus as the strategic resource it truly is,” says Pär Larshans.