The purpose of fertilisers is to supply plants and fungi with nutrients or to improve their ability to take up nutrients. They promote the growth of plants, increase their yield and improve their quality.
The Ordinance on Placing Fertilisers on the Market (Fertilisers Ordinance, DüV) lists the products that are considered fertilisers in the law. Carbon dioxide, water and light are not classed as fertilisers. Fertilisers are subject to homologation so that any unacceptable side effects for humans, animals and the environment can be established.
The FOAG is responsible for the homologation of fertilisers. This involves considering applications for authorisation and, if approved, issuing authorisations so that fertilisers can be imported and placed on the market.
Homologation of fertilisers
A distinction is made in the homologation of fertilisers between those subject to registration and those subject to authorisation:
If a fertiliser belongs to a certain product function category (PFC) and contains only ingredients from component material categories (CMCs) subject to registration, it must be registered.
Fertilisers in the following PFCs are subject to registration:
PFC 1: Fertilisers
PFC 2: Liming material
PFC 4: Growing medium
PFC 7: Fertilising product blend (with the exception of fertilisers containing a PFC or CMC requiring authorisation)
PFC 100: Farmyard manure
PFC 101(A): Compost
PFC 101(B): Digestate
The following CMCs are subject to registration:
CMC 1: Virgin material substances and mixtures
CMC 2: Plants, plant parts or plant extracts
CMC 3: Compost
CMC 4: Fresh crop digestate
CMC 5: Digestate other than fresh crop digestate
CMC 6: Food industry by-products
CMC 8: Nutrient polymers
CMC 9: Polymers other than nutrient polymers
CMC 10: Products derived from animal by-products
CMC 100: Farmyard manure
Requirements
The requirements with regard to minimum content, quality (e.g. limit values for pathogens and harmful substances), production, labelling and advertising must be complied with at all times. These can be found in the following ordinances:
Ordinance on the Placing of Fertilisers on the Market (Fertilisers Ordinance) of 1 November 2023, SR 916.171
Annex 2.6 of the Ordinance of 18 May 2005 on Risk Reduction related to the Use of Certain Particularly Dangerous Substances, Preparations and Articles (Chemical Risk Reduction Ordinance, ORRChem, SR 814.81)
Ordinance of 5 June 2015 on Protection against Dangerous Substances and Preparations (Chemicals Ordinance, ChemO, SR 813.11)
Ordinance of 25 May 2011 on Animal By-Products (ABO, SR 916.441.22)
Fertilisers subject to authorisation may only be imported and/or placed on the market if authorisation has been granted by the FOAG. A fertiliser is subject to authorisation if it corresponds to a specific PFC or contains source materials that belong in a CMC requiring authorisation.
Fertilisers in the following PFCs are subject to authorisation:
PFC 3: Organic soil improver
PFC 5: Inhibitor
PFC 6: Plant biosimulant
PFC 101: Recycled fertiliser (with the exception of PFC 101(A) Compost and PFC 101(B) Digestate)
PFC 102: Fertiliser additive
PFC 103: Other fertilisers
The following CMCs are subject to authorisation:
CMC 7: Micro-organisms
CMC 11: By-products within the meaning of Directive 2008/98/EC
CMC 12: Precipitated phosphate salts and derivates
CMC 13: Thermal oxidation materials and derivates
CMC 14: Pyrolysis and gasification materials
CMC 15: Recovered high purity materials
The following are also subject to authorisation:
Fertilisers comprising source materials that do not correspond to a CMC
Fertilising product blends from PFCs and/or CMCs that are subject to authorisation
Fertilisers that consist either wholly or partially of animal by-products that have not yet reached the end point in the manufacturing chain
Fertilisers that contain a nitrification, denitrification or urease inhibitor
Fertilisers that consist wholly or partially of slurry from an abattoir, a cutting plant or a meat processing facility
Product register for chemicals (RPC)
Various product groups can be entered in the Product register for chemicals (RPC). For fertilisers, this involves registering a product, applying for authorisation and submitting applications for renewals and changes in accordance with the Fertiliser Ordinance. Furthermore, reporting of products required by the Chemicals Ordinance (ChemO) can made here.
Record in the Product register for chemicals (RPC)
Companies must register fertilisers in the Product register for chemicals (RPC). In the case of fertilisers subject to authorisation, the data entered is checked by the FOAG before it is published in the RPC. In the case of fertilisers subject to registration, responsibility for the quality, accuracy and completeness of the data entered in the RPC lies entirely with the company.
In certain cases, reporting of a fertiliser must be given in accordance with the Chemicals Ordinance (ChemO), for example if it contains a hazardous substance (see Obligation to report preparations of the Common Notification Authority for Chemicals). Reporting can be made at the time of registration or when applying for authorisation.
To record a fertiliser in the Product register for chemicals (RPC), access to the Fertilisers section is required. Instructions on how to create a main user or sub-user account can be found on the website of the Common Notification Authority for Chemicals under the following link: User accounts (general). Only main users can register a fertiliser or apply for fertiliser authorisation. Main users are importers, distributors or manufacturers of fertilisers, i.e. natural persons or legal entities with their place of residence or business in Switzerland.
A main user can request access for one or more sub-users. This procedure is for when the composition/formulation (source materials) of a fertiliser is confidential; sub-users can enter confidential data in the RPC without the main user or other sub-users being able to see it.
Only fertilisers subject to authorisation are assessed by the FOAG. For fertilisers that are subject to registration, the companies themselves are responsible for the quality, accuracy and completeness of the data entered in the RPC.
A user manual is available for registering new fertilisers:
The requirements of the Fertiliser Ordinance (DüV) Articles 31, 32 and 33 and Annex 3 apply to the labelling and advertising of fertilisers. A guide to the labelling of fertilisers can be found under Documents and for PFC 1–7 you can refer to the EU guidelines, which can be downloaded from the following link: EUR-Lex (europa.eu)
Further information
The FOAG provides a reduced English-language version of its website that does not include all further information such as documents, legislation or links. These can be found on the pages in the three official languages (German, French and Italian).
