The starting point for Lantmännen is that we want safe products at all levels that our customers and consumers feel confident in, and that no uncertified sludge should be returned to the fields.

Phosphorus is a necessary nutrient for all crops and at the same time a finite and costly resource. Phosphorus is currently extracted from the earth's crust in several parts of the world and is added as mineral fertilizer to agriculture. The fact that phosphorus reserves will run out, and that they are often contaminated with undesirable substances such as cadmium and other heavy metals, are important reasons for creating a functioning cycle for plant nutrients. Succeeding in returning phosphorus and other nutrients from the sludge to the arable land, without increasing the content of other undesirable substances, is a prerequisite for long-term sustainable cultivation.

Creating sustainable cycles between urban and rural areas is an important social issue that is governed by the rules decided by the Riksdag and the authorities. On behalf of the Government, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency has investigated the possibilities for sustainable recycling of phosphorus. The investigation resulted in a proposal that combines intermediate targets for increased reversal with lowered limit values for undesirable substances. 

Lantmännen specifies requirements for grain flows

Based on legislation and the authorities' frameworks and guidelines, it is the farmer who decides which fertilization is appropriate based on conditions on the farm, type of crop and customer requirements, etc. Lantmännen is responsible for specifying the requirements for our grain flows. Our starting point is that we want safe products at all stages that our customers and consumers feel confident in, and that no uncertified sludge should be returned to the fields.

Requirements for grain raw material for our food products

For Lantmännen's own food products, we require that the grain raw material and the field where it is grown must not be sludge fertilized.

For organically grown raw materials, sludge fertilization must not have occurred during the time when the land has been approved for organic farming. Before the land is approved to produce organic products, it must have been cultivated according to the criteria for organic cultivation for two years.

Basic requirements for other grain flows (feed, ethanol, etc.)

For other grain flows, the basic requirement is that sludge fertilization may only take place with approved sludge from a REVAQ-certified treatment plant. REVAQ is a certification system that quality assures the treatment plants' work with upstream work and return of nutrients in the sludge to agriculture.