In a statement, the Irish Bioenergy Association (IrBEA) says it welcomes the REcovered Nitrogen from manURE (RENURE) agreement reached by the EU Nitrates Committee on September 19, 2025. The agreement allows the use of so-called 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.
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, said Seán Finan, CEO of IrBEA.
Following today’s agreement, the European 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.
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, Seán Finan added.
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.
IrBEA calls for all stakeholders to work towards 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 that 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 bring the prospect of an Irish biofertiliser industry and bioeconomy forward, concluded Seán Finan.
