On February 21, at the invitation of the Chief Inspector of Plant Protection and Seed Inspection - Mr. Andrzej Chodkowski, we took part in a meeting of the GIORiN Consultative Council, of which #Polsor is a member. At the meeting, we touched on a number of topics. We presented our position on the need to regulate fertilizer trade in Poland, pointing out:
- Fertilizer imports are carried out by companies operating in non-agricultural industries, sometimes companies lacking experience and professional facilities to responsibly supply of fertilizers to farmers.
- The problem of importing urea in quantities indicating its use in violation of the law.
- The problem of importing counterfeit fertilizers that do not meet standards for the quality of mineral components and permissible levels of impurities, and do not have the documentation required by law.
- Uncontrolled trade in explosive precursors.
- Lack of oversight by PIORiN and WIOŚ over part of the fertilizer market while other parts of the market are regularly audited to ensure compliance
- The low quality of fertilizers produced from waste (post-ferment), which are still available for purchase and not controlled well, eveb after being withdrawn by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
- The need to develop a national database of users of fertilizers that are precursors instead of relying on the records of sales and self-reported (to the seller) information.
- The proposal to develop a national database of entities/distributors listed in the register of fertilizer traders.
- The need to introduce regulations consistent with EU law on standards and permissible contaminants, as well as to unify the values of declared nutrients in different types of fertilizer products in accordance with EU Reg. 2019/1009.
- Lack of consistent provisions in safety data sheets, labels and instructions for use of fertilizers.
We expressed the expectation that all fertilizer traders should be subject to the same requirements and obligations and meet accepted standards, and should be subject to control on an equal footing with regular distribution. As pointed out by Chief Inspector Andrzej Chodkowski, appropriate statutory regulations or ordinances are necessary to meet the above demands.
We will keep you posted on the progress of the case via the Polsor Association's profiles. #polskie rolnictwo
Every day is a good day to learn! Last month, #POLSOR members participated in a webinar organised by PSOR and Remedis. The topic was: How to prepare a store for the collection of plant protection product packaging within the PSOR Packaging Collection System.
This is an important topic to all distributors. The mannagement of packaging is regulated by legislation. Producers and importers are obligated to manage the collection of empty packaging by organising a colleciton system and/or accepting packaging in agricultural stores. Farmers are obligated to return empty packaging for all substances classified as hazardous.
The webinar was a valuable source of information on the obligations of plant protection product sellers, on regulations regarding storing empty packaging, and on the obligation to register in the BDO system. We learnend how to register a store in the PSOR system.
This knowledge will certainly come handy soon. Spring is finally just around the corner!
Last week, on November 29, we participated in a meeting at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development regarding the problem of managing waste from agricultural production. The meeting included representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Culture and Environment, as well as representatives of the Food Economy Federation, KRIR, and the Polish Plant Protection Association.
POLSOR members act as not only distributors supplying farmers with tools they need. Many members introduce their own unique solutions in the form of crop protection products, biologicals, or fertilisers. That's why, on 20 September of 2023, we have participated in a meeting concerning the registraation of crop protection products with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Developent (Departament Hodowli i Ochrony Roślin MRiRW).
The General Meeting of Polsor Members was held on June 15. New authorities were elected. The current activity and the role of distribution in difficult market conditions were discussed. We also talked about the unstable situation in the supply of fertilizers to farmers, current and planned subsidies for fertilizers purchased by farmers, and the situation on the grain purchase market.