Soil monitoring law: New EU directive calls for sustainable food production

18 Jun 2024 --- The EU Council has reached a political agreement to more closely scrutinize soil health monitoring across member states, providing guidelines to manage soil sustainably and identify situations where soil contamination poses health and environmental risks.

The proposed soil monitoring law requires member states to monitor and assess the health of soil in their territory so that landowners and authorities across the EU can take appropriate sustainable soil management measures.

Healthy soil is essential for food production, with as much as 95% of the food is produced directly or indirectly on soil. However, estimates say that over 60% of the soils in the EU are not in good condition.

“Humans and our ecosystems depend on soil as a source of food, clean water, and habitat. But it is a non-renewable resource that needs to be protected and restored. We are taking an important step toward healthy soils in the EU by 2050,” says Alain Maron, minister of the Government of the Brussels-Capital Region.

Soil health and food security
The EU has shown concern for degrading soil health in the past, most notably presenting the EU soil strategy in 2021, where it pressed for a comprehensive soil health law. With political instability and climate change impacting food production and key commodity prices in the EU, the law, if passed, holds potential.

Research in Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems highlights that maintaining soil fertility can reduce on-farm emissions and increase the nutritional value of crops such as rice and wheat.

Another study confirms that improvement in soil health led to a 23% increase in corn yields, underscoring the enduring role of cover crops in strengthening food economies in countries like the US, where corn remains a major crop.

According to the agreement, member states must define sustainable soil management practices within five years of the directive entering into force.Methodology
The EU will adopt a standard methodology to determine sampling points for monitoring. The general approach allows member states to use existing data and monitoring systems. It also puts in place a minimum quality requirement for laboratories analyzing soil samples to ensure the comparability of soil measurements.

To improve soil properties, the European Commission (EC) proposes assessing soil health by keeping a record of “descriptors” that define physical, chemical and biological parameters.

Moreover, keeping assessments in line with local environments, the EU Council has agreed on a “flexible double-value system” that comprises both EU-level long-term, non-binding and sustainable thresholds set by individual states. An example of the latter is a risk-based approach for member states to identify all potentially contaminated sites and maintain a public record.

The EC adds that member states must define sustainable soil management practices within five years of the directive entering into force and adhere to its principles.

Additionally, the proposal aims to achieve no net land take by 2050, requiring concrete steps to reduce land conversion.

With the incoming EU Deforestation Regulation, key players in the food and beverage industry are moving toward sustainable farming practices and enabling the transition to regenerative agriculture across Europe.

Recently, dairy players started collaborating with farmers to plant herb-rich grassland, creating areas with “richer soil” that provide nutrients to dairy cows.

By Anvisha Manral