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Key message: In 2022, there was a 10.3% year-on-year reduction in fertiliser consumption and a cumulative decline of 15.9% from the relative peak in 2017.
Mineral fertiliser consumption in agriculture in the EU, 2012–2022
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Nitrogen and phosphorus play a crucial role in supporting crop growth and sustaining human life. However, excessive agricultural losses of these nutrients negatively impact air, soil and water quality, harming both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, as well as human health. Furthermore, nutrient release from domestic sources — untreated wastewater in particular — harms aquatic ecosystems (Malagó and Bouraoui, 2023; Vigiak et al., 2023).
Under the European Green Deal, the European Commission’s Farm to Fork strategy aims to cut nutrient losses by at least 50% by 2030 while maintaining soil fertility and reducing fertiliser use by a minimum of 20% (EC, 2020).
In 2022, the quantity of nitrogen- and phosphorus-based mineral fertilisers used by EU agriculture was 9.8 million tonnes. This marked a 10.3% year-on-year reduction and a cumulative decline of 15.9% from the relative peak in consumption in 2017.
Please consult the relevant indicators and signals below for a more comprehensive overview on the topic.
Zero Pollution Action Plan 2030 target or policy objectives
- Reduce nutrient losses by 50%.
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Other relevant indicators and signals
References and footnotes
- Malagó, A. and Bouraoui, F., 2023, ’Forty years of anthropogenic nutrient pressures: agriculture and domestic nitrogen and phosphorus inventory in view of sustainable nutrient management’, Front. Sustain. Food Syst. 7, 1062435.↵
- Vigiak, O., et al., 2023, ‘Recent regional changes in nutrient fluxes of European surface waters’, Science of the Total Environment 858, 160063.↵
- EC, 2020, Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions ‘A farm to fork strategy for a fair, healthy and environmentally-friendly food system’ (COM(2020) 381 final).↵