French organizations representing major arable crop sectors, including potato producers, have criticized a vote by the National Assembly to introduce stricter national limits on cadmium levels in phosphate fertilizers, arguing that the measure could place French agriculture at a competitive disadvantage.

The proposal, adopted by 144 votes to 22, would lower the permitted cadmium content in phosphate fertilizers from the current European Union limit of 60 mg of cadmium per kilogram of P₂O₅ to 40 mg/kg from 2027 and 20 mg/kg from 2030.

The organizations, including AGPB, AGPM, CGB, FOP and UNPT, said the move represents an additional regulatory burden beyond existing EU requirements and warned that it could create distortions in competition between French growers and their counterparts elsewhere in Europe.

The groups noted that the European Union already regulates cadmium levels in phosphate fertilizers through a harmonized framework applicable across all member states. They also pointed to an upcoming review of the issue by the European Commission, arguing that France should wait for the outcome of that process rather than implementing stricter national thresholds.

The debate has attracted particular attention from sectors reliant on phosphate fertilizers, including potato production. According to the organizations, more than 2,600 analyses of potatoes conducted between 2009 and 2024 by technical institutes and interprofessional bodies found an average cadmium content of 0.026 mg/kg in potato tubers, which they said is significantly below the applicable European regulatory limit.

The groups argued that these findings do not support claims of widespread contamination of French agricultural products and rejected suggestions that stricter fertilizer limits are necessary to protect food safety.

Supporters of the legislation have argued that reducing cadmium inputs into agricultural soils could help limit long-term accumulation of the heavy metal in the environment and food chain. However, opponents contend that the proposed thresholds are not aligned with current European rules and could restrict access to fertilizer sources available to growers in other EU countries.

The organizations are now calling on the French Senate to reject the proposal and maintain alignment with existing European legislation. They argue that future decisions on cadmium limits should be based on scientific evidence and coordinated at the European level to avoid creating additional compliance burdens for French agriculture.

If approved by the Senate and enacted, the new limits would make France one of the most restrictive markets in Europe regarding cadmium content in phosphate fertilizers.