A new report from the European Biogas Association (EBA) has positioned digestate as a key resource for European fertiliser resilience, published to coincide with the European Commission's unveiling of its Fertiliser Action Plan.
The report, Digestate in Europe: State of Play in 2026, estimates that the environmental and nutrient value of digestate exceeds €1 billion per year. By 2050, Europe's biogas sector could generate around 177 million tonnes of fertilisers from nutrient-rich waste streams, with nutrient potential projected to reach 9.7 million tonnes of nitrogen, 1.7 million tonnes of phosphorus and 0.8 million tonnes of potassium.
Anaerobic digestion plants across Europe produced an estimated 25 million tonnes of digestate dry matter in 2024, primarily from agricultural feedstocks, with manure accounting for around 60% of inputs. The report calculates that this production volume could technically replace more than 16% of mineral nitrogen fertilisers used in European agriculture, alongside up to 30% of phosphorus and 10% of potassium demand.
The EBA said the Commission's Fertiliser Action Plan, which aims to scale up bio-based alternatives to fossil-derived fertilisers, sent a positive signal for the sector. Near-term measures in the plan include extending RENURE criteria to digestate, facilitating rules governing the anaerobic digestion of animal by-products, and mobilising Common Agricultural Policy eco-schemes.
Lucile Sever, senior policy advisor at the EBA, said digestate was becoming "a strategic resource for Europe's fertiliser resilience and circular economy objectives" and that effective digestate management could be a "game changer" for the viability of biogas plants by helping farmers reduce mineral fertiliser purchases.
Digestate could replace significant share of Europe’s mineral fertiliser use, EBA report finds
