The EU has adopted new rules to allow slurries and manures to be processed into REcovered Nitrogen from manURE (RENURE), aiming to replace mineral fertilisers with organic-derived fertiliser.

RENURE to fertilisers made from processed livestock manure using innovative techniques, in which nutrients are recovered and transformed into forms that can substitute mineral fertilisers.

By allowing the use of RENURE fertilisers above the existing legal limit for the application of manure and processed manure, member states and farmers will have the possibility to replace chemical fertilisers with RENURE fertilisers, the European Commission said in a statement.

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Protect water

At the same time, to make the use of RENURE sustainable, the law includes appropriate environmental safeguards to be implemented by member states, particularly regarding the protection of waters against pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources.

Speaking on the new rules, Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy Jessika Roswall said: “With the adoption of these new rules on RENURE, Europe is turning waste into value, reducing fertiliser imports, supporting farmers’ competitiveness and strengthening our strategic autonomy, while safeguarding water and the environment.”

Nitrates directive

The new rules take the form of an amendment to the nitrates directive.

The adoption follows a vote on 19 September 2025 by member states’ representatives in the nitrates committee to amend Annex III of the nitrates directive.

The amendment will apply only to member states choosing to authorise RENURE. They will be required to transpose the amendment into national law.