Before everyone disappears for a well-deserved break, Brussels has managed to squeeze in a few more questionable decisions.
This week, we start with manure (there’s a lot of it) – and our complaint to the EU’s legal watchdog over how new fertiliser rules were developed. From there, we revisit the 2024 farmers’ protests and how farmers’ demands were actually not addressed by dismantling environmental protections, look at the quiet disappearance of the Sustainable Food Systems Law, and check in on Europe’s growing waste problem (with particularly painful reading for those of us in Brussels – a city famous for its trash bags).
We also take a look at new warnings about rule of law standards inside EU institutions themselves, and a few other stories worth keeping an eye on.
In short: manure, farmers, food, trash and the rule of law. Brussels at its finest.
Enjoy the read.
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💩 A MOUNTAIN OF MANURE
No thank you – This week, the EEB submitted a complaint to the European Ombudswoman, the EU’s legal watchdog, over the EU Commission’s failure to follow essential safeguards when developing new rules on manure (livestock waste).
This stinks – More than you might think. The new rules would allow Member States to spread manure-based fertilisers up to 50% above the limit set in the current Nitrates Directive. But those limits exist for good reason, as excessive nitrates are dangerous. Too much manure leads to nutrient runoff that pollutes waterways, causes toxic nutrient build-up in soils, and damages crops.
In other words – Over-fertilising land leads to aquatic “dead zones”, undrinkable tap water, and swimming that can make you sick. More than 30% of EU surface waters and over 80% of marine waters are already out of balance and unwell, while 14% of groundwater breaches drinking water limits. This problem is Europe-wide, from France, Spain and Ireland to the Netherlands, Germany and the Baltic Sea.
Who in their right mind would support such a measure, you ask? Well, indeed. The Commission based the RENURE proposal on a single, narrow study, without proper impact assessment, without evidence from its own scientific body, and without consultation with EU citizens.
Wider context – This case is not a one-off, but part of a disturbing trend. The wider deregulation agenda increasingly sees industry-focused lawmaking hopscotch over proper process while big business interests take precedence. Even Commission Executive Vice-President Teresa Ribera recently warned that deregulation was becoming a “terrible political spectacle” that could spell the end of the EU as we know it.
🚜 CASE IN POINT: FARMERS’ PROTESTS
Not the first time – This is not the first time the Ombudswoman has been called in to investigate questionable policymaking. During the 2024 farmers’ protests, as tractors rolled through European capitals, EU institutions rushed to dismantle environmental safeguards in the rules governing food and farming, supposedly in response to farmers’ demands.
Culture of fear – This week, according to new reporting by Natasha Foote and the EUobserver, even officials within the Commission were concerned about the legality of the process. One official described a “culture of fear – nobody speaking out, and those who did were quietly moved to other positions.” The EU’s own watchdog later concluded that the Commission’s actions amounted to maladministration.
Did farmers actually ask for this? Research suggests environmental rules were not a primary concern for farmers in the countries surveyed and were disproportionately prioritised by EU policymakers and some Member States.
Pattern emerging – What started as emergency concessions during the farmers’ protests now looks more like a blueprint. Shortcuts in policymaking, weakened safeguards, and decisions taken without proper impact assessments are becoming less of an exception and more of a pattern.
🍴 THE LOST FOOD LAW
Great idea trashed – This week, the Commission quietly sealed the fate of its promised Sustainable Food Systems Law, once billed as one of the EU’s most ambitious food policy initiatives. After years of preparation, consultations and promises, the law has effectively disappeared from the agenda.
What we eat matters – The law would have put food at the centre of EU policy, addressing the impacts of current diets on health, climate, biodiversity and pollution. The food system is not just about farming – it is about what ends up on our plates, how food is marketed, and the environments in which we choose and eat our food.
Not all is lost – By revising the EU Public Procurement Directives, the Commission could still ensure that food served in schools, hospitals and public institutions is healthy and sustainable. Public money feeding people could still be one of the EU’s most powerful food policy tools.
Reap what you sow – With fertiliser supply disruptions driving up costs for farmers, the need to reduce dependency on expensive and harmful inputs is becoming obvious. Many farmers shifting to more sustainable regenerative practices are finding similar yields, lower costs and fewer risks – without relying on volatile global supply chains.
🚮 DOES YOUR COUNTRY PASS THE TRASH TEST?
New filthy stats – New Eurostat data paint a trashy picture of Europe: since 2014, municipal waste per person has increased in 20 out of the 27 EU countries. Not exactly the circular economy revolution we were promised.
Best and worst – And if you’ve been stumbling over trash bags in Brussels – or got papped with them like Mick Jagger – we see you: Belgium recorded the biggest increase, followed by Czechia and Austria. Meanwhile, the Netherlands, Denmark and Finland are proving it is possible to go in the other direction.
No more excuses – The solutions are not exactly a mystery: waste prevention, reuse and repair systems, and making producers responsible for the waste they generate. Without that, citizens will keep footing the bill while waste keeps piling up.
🗞 IN OTHER NEWS
Rule of law standards – All this “Omnibussing” has not gone unnoticed. Liberties’ 2026 Rule of Law Report warns that rule of law standards inside EU institutions themselves are slipping, raising uncomfortable questions about the EU’s credibility as a defender of democracy and fundamental rights abroad. As Alberto Alemanno puts it, the growing use of “exceptional circumstances” to justify sweeping changes risks becoming a form of institutional self-sabotage.
Stand with LIFE – The future of the EU’s only dedicated funding programme on environment, climate, and biodiversity is still uncertain. Strong and visible support could help decide its future. Sign the petition to save LIFE now.
Ukraine – Ukrainian civil society organisations are sounding the alarm over government plans to “optimise” environmental governance by dismantling specialised agencies and consolidating their powers. Critics warn, including EEB members on the ground, that this could weaken decision-making and increase risks of corruption and conflicts between resource use and environmental protection.
Livestock strategy – The Commission is gathering input for its upcoming EU Livestock Strategy, which will have to tackle a system that currently struggles to deliver fair incomes for farmers, healthy food, environmental protection and animal welfare at the same time. Have your say.
🧠✨ DOPAMINE HIT
As ever, here are a few happy updates to get your weekend off to a perky start:
- Solar is winning the energy race. The world’s cheapest power source is scaling at warp speed, pushing coal, gas and nuclear aside. Read more here.
- How Beijing Restored its Aquifer and Reversed its Groundwater Depletion. Read more here.
- France’s Ban on Forever Chemicals Sets New Standard for Consumer Safety. Read more here.
- Global Species-Survival Efforts Gain Momentum with New Conservation Commission. Read more here.
📢 ORGANISE
If you are not involved, get involved. Find a member organisation near you.
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On Social Media
- Tractors in the streets: The Origin story of deregulation (LinkedIn)
- Pensioners support the biggest protests in US history (TikTok)
- Spring affirmations (IG)
- 🙅 Tell your policymakers to keep their #HandsOffNature! (Bluesky)
From Around the World
- Iran war sparks renewables boom as Europeans rush to buy solar, heat pumps and EVs (Euronews)
- US has caused $10tn worth of climate damage since 1990, research finds (The Guardian)
- War is transforming Ukraine’s dogs who live on the front line (Le Monde)
Events
- Climate and Energy WG meeting – 8 – 9 April, Online – Addressed to EEB members only – EU climate, energy and industrial policy, with a focus on ETS2 reform and defending building decarbonisation against political headwinds.
- How can the second-hand sector thrive within European textiles EPR? – 15 April 2026 – Online (live from the European Parliament)- The exponential growth of fast and ultra-fast fashion has led to unmanageable levels of textile waste and is overwhelming the second-hand sector. The revised EU waste laws present a unique opportunity to hold producers accountable and support textile reuse in the EU and beyond.
- NENUPHAR Annual Networking Event – 28 April, Brussels – The NENUPHAR project, a 21-partner EU initiative tackling nutrient recycling from dairy, manure, and sewage streams, is hosting a relaxed networking event to connect researchers, policymakers, and practitioners around circular economy solutions.
- Law WG meeting – 19 -20 May, Brussels – Addressed to EEB members only – Europe’s shifting environmental law landscape, deregulation, enforcement, public participation, UN procedures, and the protection of environmental defenders.
- Joint Agriculture-Air-Nature WG meetings – 8 – 11 June, Brussels – Addressed to EEB members only – EU nature policy, nitrogen pollution, methane, agriculture and clean air priorities.
By: Ben Snelson. Special thanks to the EEB’s editorial team: Roi Gomez, Alberto Vela and Ruby Silk. Editor: Christian Skrivervik.