Press release: IrBEA welcomes RENURE agreement in EU Nitrates Committee today.
For Immediate Release:
19/09/2025
IrBEA welcomes RENURE agreement in EU Nitrates Committee.
The Irish Bioenergy Association (IrBEA) welcomes the RENURE (REcovered Nitrogen from manURE) agreement in the EU Nitrates Committee today. This agreement allows for the use of RENURE fertilisers above the limit for the application of manure and processed manure set by the Nitrates Directive. This agreement will open the possibility for Irish farmers to replace chemical fertilisers with RENURE products on their farms.
Seán Finan, CEO of the Irish Bioenergy Association (IrBEA) said: “IrBEA has lobbied and advocated, on behalf of members, for the adoption of the RENURE proposal for the last few years. This approval is very welcome. It is an important milestone on the road to the displacement of chemical fertiliser on Irish farms with processed organic manure/digestate from biomethane production. The agreement, when transposed into law, will increase the allowable limits for organic fertiliser products derived from digestate from biomethane production to displace chemical fertiliser.”
Following today’s agreement, the EU Commission’s RENURE proposal will be shared with the European Parliament and the Council for a three-month scrutiny period. If there are no objections from the European Parliament and the European Council, the EU Commission will be able to adopt this amendment to the Nitrates Directive.
Finan continued “We strongly encourage the Irish Government and our Irish MEPs to work to ensure that this agreement successfully proceeds through the EU Council of Ministers and European Parliament scrutiny process and following this, that Ireland chooses to authorise RENURE and transpose the amendment into national law.”
The RENURE proposal allows only three types of products/processes including ammonium salts (gas purification/ammonia removal from off-gases), mineral concentrate (reverse osmosis) and struvite (struvite precipitation). IrBEA strongly advocates that this list of products is only a starting point and must be expanded in the future.
Finan concluded “IrBEA calls for all stakeholders to work towards a further future expansion of the types of products allowable under RENURE. This expansion should extend to allow for digestate itself as a RENURE product in the future. Today’s agreement is an important step forward. This agreement clearly establishes the legal mechanism which allows for the displacement of chemical fertiliser with organic manure/digestate which is particularly important for Ireland with grass-based production systems. RENURE will assist the development of the biomethane industry, the mobilisation of digestate and brings the prospect of an Irish biofertiliser industry and bioeconomy forward.”
ENDS.
For further information contact:
Seán Finan, IrBEA CEO on 087 4146480
Notes to Editors:
