What’s holding us back?

The European Commission recently approved recycled calcium phosphate for use as fertiliser in organic farming – an important milestone for circular agriculture. Yet, a decades-old ban on using recycled phosphorus in animal feed remains in place. 

This rule was introduced in the early 2000s, during the BSE (“mad cow disease”) crisis, when animal by-products were tightly regulated to protect public health. But those concerns no longer apply to modern, chemically processed materials like recycled calcium phosphate. Today’s recovery technologies produce products that are even purer than mined phosphates. 

“We are really good at innovation in Europe, but old legislation makes it difficult to build businesses from great ideas,” says Pär Larshans, Chief Sustainability Officer at Ragn-Sells Group. “The EU must make it easier to establish new technologies – otherwise investment, jobs, and research will end up somewhere else.” 

As long as this restriction remains, recycled phosphorus cannot be used in animal feed – which is where most of Europe’s phosphorus actually goes. That means valuable, EU-produced phosphorus will continue to be exported to markets such as Canada, while Europe keeps importing mined phosphate from Morocco and Russia. The result: Europe loses both its resources and competitiveness. 

Updating the legislation would be straightforward. By revising Annex III of the EU Feed Regulation, the Commission could allow recycled, chemically purified phosphorus sources – such as RevoCaP produced through the Ash2Phos process – to be used safely in feed production. 

This small change would: 

• Reduce dependency on imports from outside the EU 

• Unlock a new circular industry worth hundreds of millions of euros 

• Create green jobs and investment in Europe 

• Strengthen food security and sustainability across the Union 

Modern recycling technologies have made it possible to close the phosphorus loop safely. What Europe needs now is a regulatory framework that reflects the science – not the fears of the past. 

“The recycled phosphorus produced through the Ash2Phos process is even cleaner than the mined phosphorus Europe currently imports from Russia and Morocco. Chemically purified and free from heavy metals such as cadmium, it offers a safer and more sustainable alternative to conventional phosphate sources – yet cannot be used in animal feed under current legislation,” says Jan Svärd, CEO of EasyMining. 

Changing one line of legislation could turn Europe’s waste into a strategic resource and ensure that innovation, jobs, and sustainability stay here at home.