Estonia

The Estonian fertilizer law distinguishes between regular fertilizers, organic fertilizers, natural fertilizers and soil inoculants. Lime applied to decalcify soil is also considered being a fertilizer. 

Soil inoculants are substances containing micro-organisms to improve plant nutrition.

Animal by-products can be used, as long as they are used in line with provisions of Regulation 1069/2009. 

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Any fertilizer placed on the market in Estonia must comply with the requirements set out in the Annex to the Fertilizer Act. This Annex provides details on required composition or mandatory declarations of nutrients, for instance.

Types of fertilizers include organo-mineral fertilisers, micronutrient fertilizers, dolomite, chalk and ash fertilizer products, as well as microbiological fertilizers. It also details minimum contents in terms of micronutrients and maximum contents in terms of contaminants.

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Labels must be in Estonian and they must be in line with the Fertilizer and the Packaging Act.

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In case a fertilizer to be placed on the market does not fit into any of the types specified in the Fertilizer Act and its Annex, it must get approval prior to marketing. This is done by sending a request to the Agricultural Board.

The documents to be submitted include:

- the notice for the registration of a fertilizer, 

- the label or a document detailing the composition and use of the product (including a test protocol with the analytics), 

- as well as the maximum packaging size.

Every fertilizer put on the market needs to be registered in the fertilizer registry.

Fees to do so are detailed in the States Fee Act. One-time registration fees apply, as well as an annual fee to keep the concerned products in the registry.  

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The only exception to this rule are organic fertilizers. These do not have to be registered. Organic fertilizers, according to the Fertilizer Act, are “fertilisers that are mainly composed of organic substances of plant or animal origin”.