Fertilizer (HS: 3101, 3102, 3103, 3104, 3105); FERTILIZERS (HS 31)

Draft Revision of the standards and rules for fertilizer

In order to promote quality control of fertilizers, MAFF will amend the Ordinance for the Enforcement of the Fertilizer Regulation Act and the administrative rules as follows:

Outline of the amendment:

1. Outline of the amendment of the Ministerial Ordinance and the administerial rules (except for the rules of the labelling and the official specification)

(1) Specifications of the raw materials which can be used for the following fertilizers, hereinafter referred to as "the Raw-materials Specification", will be established. Producers of the following fertilizers (Annexed Table 4(2), 4(3), 5(1), 5(2) and 5(3) in Annex) will be required to submit documents to MAFF to confirm that the raw materials satisfy the Raw-materials Specification when they apply for registration as a fertilizer producer.

Animal or Vegetable By-product Fertilizers, Processed Fish Scrap Fertilizers, Dried Microbe Fertilizers, By-product Fertilizers, Liquid Fertilizers, Adsorbed Compound Fertilizers, Compound Fertilizers for Home Garden, Microbe Fertilizers, Complex Fertilizers (with some exceptions)

(2) Producers and importers of the following fertilizers will be required to submit results of cultivation test when they apply for registration to MAFF.

Fused silicate phosphates(*), Dried Microbe Fertilizers(*), By-product Fertilizers(*), Microbe Fertilizers, Fused Compound Fertilizers(*), Sludge Fertilizers, Marine-Byproduct Fermented Fertilizers, Sulfur and Sulfur Compounds

*Except for the fertilizers for Home Gardening.

(3) The registration period of the following fertilizers will be six years.

Processed Food Residue Fertilizers, Animal or Vegetable By-product Fertilizers (*), By-product Fertilizers (*), Liquid Fertilizers (*), Compound Fertilizers for Home Gardening (*), Adsorbed Compound Fertilizers (*), Ammonium Phosphates Potassium Nitrate Potassium Phosphates, Magnesium Ammonium Phosphates, Mixed manure Compound Fertilizers (*), Mixed Compost Compound Fertilizers (*), calcium sulfate

* With some exceptions.

(4) Producers or importers will be additionally required to keep a record of the following information.

(In the case of the Normal Fertilizer)

·         Type, quantity and suppliers of the raw materials

(In the case of using the materials which meet the Raw-material Specification)

·         Information to confirm that the raw materials meet the Raw-material specification (except for the case in which the suppliers keep a record of the information)

·         Lot number (only in the case that the information on raw materials are showed on the Website)

·         Calculation ground for the amount of component (in the case that the amount of component is calculated using the data of each production lot)

·         Calculation ground for the amount of major component (in the case of sludge fertilizer, designated mixed fertilizers containing special fertilizer(s) or designated mixed fertilizer containing soil amendment(s))

(In the case of the designated mixed fertilizer containing alkaline fertilizer and non-alkaline fertilizer or sulfur)

·         Information to confirm that the mixed fertilizer is not deteriorated by mixing processes

(In the case of the Special Fertilizer)

·         Type, quantity and suppliers of the raw materials (only in the case of the special fertilizer subjected to the labelling rules for quality control)

2. Outline of the administerial rule of labelling for fertilizer which indicate raw material in 1 (1)

(1) Producers or importers of the fertilizers described below must indicate all name/type of raw materials in descending order according to the percentage weight in the product on the Producers/ Importers Assurance Label.

Animal or Vegetable By-product Fertilizers(*), Dried Microbe Fertilizers(*), By-product Fertilizers(*), Liquid Fertilizers(*) Adsorbed Compound Fertilizers(*), Microbe Fertilizers(*), Provisionally Registered Fertilizers

*Except for fertilizers for Home Gardening

(2) Labelling requirement for raw materials which fall within the scope of the Raw material Specification is the same as that of other raw materials except for the following requirements;

·         Type/Name of the Raw Materials which is described in the list of the Raw-material Specification (Annexed 4(2), 4(3), 5(1), 5(2) and 5(3) in Annex) should be indicated on the label, if applicable.

·         The Name/ type of the raw materials must be fully indicated on the label and not be omitted by describing as "others" or indicating website URL to be referred.

(3) Producers of the Special Fertilizer(s) will be required to label name of the all raw materials including premixed raw materials before the manufacturing process of the fertilizer(s).

3. Outline of the amendment of the administerial rules for the official specification of the normal fertilizer (Regarding the all annexed tables (except for calcium silicate fertilizers) in Annex):

·         The integration of the specification

·         Stipulation of the Raw materials Specifications

·         Minimum amount of the major components which is required to be indicated on the assurance label is lowered

·         Lowering of the minimum amount of components which is required to be indicated on the assurance label

·        Addition of CaO and SO3 to the list of components which can be indicated on the assurance label.