Nitrates Directive must not be further weakened on digestates

03 July 2026

BirdLife, EEB, Greenpeace, IFOAM, SAFE Food Advocacy Europe, and other Brussels-based organisations have written to the European Commission, urging it to abandon its plan to amend the legal limit for manure application set out in the Nitrates Directive, as suggested in the fertilisers action plan.

The letter states that the RENURE Act has already “allowed a near 50% increase in the amount of nitrogen from manure that can be spread on fields”, and the signatories express their “utter disappointment” at the Commission’s proposal to extend this approach to digestate. Instead, the letter calls for the upcoming Livestock Strategy to reduce excessive livestock concentration and rebalance production across territories.