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New requirements on nutrient inputs in the Naturland standards on production

More legumes, more nutrients, more sustainability

Markus Fadl, Naturland e.V.

Revised requirements on nutrient inputs in the Naturland standards on production were adopted at the Assembly of Delegates in May 2025. We explain the most important changes and the opportunities they offer to Naturland farms.

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Organic farming faces major challenges. The rapid progression of climate change and species extinction requires adaptation to new environmental conditions, while at the same time farms must become more economically efficient in order to survive in a changing market. Against this backdrop, the Arable Farming Technical Committee has been working since 2021 to revise the Naturland standard on production regarding nutrient input requirements and make them fit for the future. The aim was to strengthen the sustainability of Naturland arable crop farming in two ways: economically and ecologically.

To achieve this, the changes focus on two main aspects: Firstly, the aim is to tap into new sources of nutrients through better regional cooperation opportunities. Secondly, the requirements for the cultivation of main crop legumes were made more flexible. As forage legumes (clover grass, alfalfa) make an important contribution to sustainability (organic soil matter formation, biodiversity), they were given special weighting credits.

Promoting legumes

The minimum proportion of 20% legumes in crop rotation remains unchanged, but farms will have more freedom in how they achieve this proportion. Whereas the requirements previously only applied to main crop legumes, the required numbers can now also be achieved via cover crops and intercropping. The decisive factor here is the weighting factor used to calculate this proportion.

Legumes in classic cover crop mixtures or intercropping are counted at a factor of 0.5, while overwintering cover crops or grain legumes in the main crop are counted at a factor of 0.66. Perennial forage legumes with less than two years of use will continue to be counted 1:1. If clover grass or alfalfa remain on the field for at least two years or longer, this will be particularly rewarded in future by the increased credit factor of 1.5.

As a result, this flexible approach enables ecological intensification, in which a better nutrient supply goes hand in hand with greater biodiversity, more climate protection and more organic soil matter formation in the area. However, this can only work if there is a sensible use for the additional perennial forage legumes. Especially in regions with low livestock numbers, there is often a lack of suitable cooperation partners who can take the fodder and supply organic farmyard manure in return. That is why the opportunities for cooperation are being expanded here.

Expanded nutrient cooperation

Where no organic farm is available as a regional cooperation partner, it has been possible to use solid manure or compost from conventional farms, or alternatively – in the case of fermentation materials – digestates from conventional biogas plants. In both cases, however, conventional liquid manure has been excluded up to now – both in direct nutrient exchange and indirectly via biogas plants. A strictly regulated opening has now been introduced: Once all other options have been exhausted, nutrient cooperation agreements involving the use of liquid manure from conventional cattle farming will also be possible in future upon application. Special quality assurance criteria will then apply, which continue to go well beyond the requirements of the EU Organic Regulation:

  • The cooperative farm must at least meet the criteria of animal welfare level 3.
  • The feed given to the animals must be guaranteed GMO-free.
  • Antibiotic monitoring is mandatory.
  • The Naturland farm must cultivate at least ten percent forage legumes and supply the cooperating farm. This also applies to cooperation with a biogas plant; simply purchasing digestate from biogas plants is not permitted in this case.
  • On the other hand, the supply obligation does not apply to biogas plants that do not ferment liquid cattle manure of conventional origin.
  • Conventional liquid pig manure remains excluded, as well as chicken manure from conventional farming.

Special provisions for farms outside Europe

A special provision applies to farms outside Europe, as liquid cattle manure is hardly available, either conventionally or organically, particularly in Asia, but also in many countries in Africa and South America. Chicken farming, on the other hand, is widespread, but in these regions it is practically never certified organic and has therefore been ruled out as a source of nutrients until now.

In response to this particular challenge, a strictly regulated opening has now been introduced: If no other nutrient sources are available, chicken manure from small-scale or non-industrial animal husbandry may be used in future upon application. The prerequisite is that quality asurance criteria for husbandry and stocking density are met, which are based on the corresponding criteria of the organic inspection bodies for the respective region of the world.

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Author

Markus Fadl is Naturland's long-standing press spokesman.