Perfil de los miembros
Sr. Patrick Heffer
Organización:
International Fertilizer Association (IFA)
País:
Francia
Campo(s) de especialización:
Sr. Patrick Heffer
Online Consultation for review and comments on the zero-draft International Code of Conduct for the Use and Management of Fertilizers
Comments from the International Fertilizer Association (IFA) pertaining to the zero draft, which will be presented to FAO’s Committee on Agriculture at its session in October 2018
(general comments below and attached, plus specific comments attached)
At IFA, we have always welcomed the idea to have a Code of Conduct for Fertilizers, and we have been very supportive of this project right from the beginning.
We consider this a quite unique opportunity to create a truly relevant and meaningful document not only for our industry but for all key stakeholders that are closely involved with our sector.
But the development of such an extensive and important document cannot be taken lightly: Creating a substantial and impactful document, that provides true guidance, takes time.
While we applaud FAO for its ambition, we believe that the proposed timeline (coming up with a zero draft in 6 weeks, getting it reviewed by the Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils (ITPS) and an Open-Ended Working Group within roughly 2 weeks, and coming up with a revised zero draft only a couple of days later for consideration at the Global Soil Partnership (GSP)’s Plenary Assembly in June) does not provide for sufficient consultation, and simply cannot result in a document which provides meaningful guidance and recommendations.
The FAO is renowned for its sound scientific, thorough and reliable work. If this document cannot benefit from more consultations and improvements, the outcome will not only affect the reputation of the FAO, but the code will ultimately not generate the adherence and support that a code is supposed to get from its target audiences.
What is immediately striking are the number of repetitions throughout the whole document, while there are entire areas and topics that would clearly benefit from clearer definitions and clarification.
For example:
The document is still quite unbalanced:
We noticed some gaps:
Language needs to be carefully reviewed, as some areas risk to create misunderstanding and confusion:
Definitions need further review:
In summary, substantial improvements are still required to make the current draft relevant and ready for adoption. We are of the opinion that the priority should be incorporating specific comments made during the GSP Plenary Assembly in June (by France, Germany, Jordan, Morocco, The Netherlands and IFA) and submit a new draft for consultation to the COAG. It would reflect a transparent, step-wise and constructive negotiation process.
We believe that the speed with which this document had to be pulled together is the main factor for its weaknesses, flaws and gaps. One must bear in mind that fertilizers have a major role to play for the world’s future in terms of food security. 50 % of our food produced today is based on mineral fertilizers. At the same time, nobody denies that mineral and organic nutrients impact the environment and that improved management practices are of major importance.
Given the critical role of fertilizers, IFA would strongly recommend giving appropriate weight to the development of such a significant document: it is ultimately the extend of its content that will decide if this code is truly relevant for nutrient stewardship or if it will be dismissed as superficial and too general.
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About IFA
The International Fertilizer Association (IFA) is a trade association representing the global fertilizer industry, which provides the crop nutrients that allow farmers everywhere to meet the world's growing food, feed, fiber and bioenergy needs in a sustainable manner. IFA member companies represent all activities related to the production and distribution of every type of fertilizer, their raw materials and intermediates. IFA’s membership also includes organizations involved in agronomic research and training. IFA has some 501 members in about 68 countries.