Events Calendar

Healthy soils for sustainable agriculture –
Why a drastic reduction of cadmium in phosphates is vital to have safe food?

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Clean and healthy soils are integral to achieving the objectives of the Farm-to-Fork Strategy: healthy and sustainable food systems will secure a resilient environment, zero pollution, climate neutrality & biodiversity restoration.

Soil pollution by heavy metals such as cadmium have been degrading the safety of food and water for decades, posing threat to the public health & environment, exposing the most vulnerable populations to risks that should be controlled.

Despite the adoption of the Fertilizers Regulation (EU) 2019/1009 setting harmonized limits on cadmium in phosphates, Europe must nevertheless apply further efforts to ensure healthy and fertile soils, both through the most recent CAP agreement – which rewards the use of ‘cleaner’ phosphates – and through the upcoming new EU Soil Strategy.

The publication of the White Paper on cadmium in phosphates, by OPERA research center of the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore takes stock of the current scientific findings, explains the opportunities for the food value chain to use ‘cleaner’ phosphates and calls for immediate action by EU policymakers.

Prof. Ettore Capri from the OPERA research center, has the privilege of inviting policymakers, academia, industry and civil society to join us in a lively debate moderated by EURACTIV. Our panelists will tackle questions including:

- What is cadmium and why it is present in European soils?
- What are the latest scientific findings on cadmium in phosphates?
- What are the bottlenecks to achieving clean soils in the EU?
- What can policymakers do to incite farmers to use cleaner phosphates while preserving the EU’s agriculture sector?
- How can we make the population aware of soil pollution and incite the value chain contribute to ‘get clean’?


ORGANISED BY: OPERA and Safer Phosphates

MEDIA PARTNER: EURACTIV

WATCH THE RECORDING HERE