Ten Years Since the EU Proposed the World’s First Definition of Plant Biostimulants
March 2026
Today marks ten years since the European Commission published its proposal for the EU Fertilising Products Regulation (FPR), a landmark initiative that introduced the world’s first regulatory definition of plant biostimulants.
Presented in March 2016, the proposal modernised the EU framework for fertilising products and created a harmonised pathway for innovative products to access the European Single Market. Among its most important contributions was the recognition of plant biostimulants as a distinct category of agricultural inputs.
The proposal defined a plant biostimulant as:
A CE-marked fertilising product stimulating plant nutrition processes independently of the product’s nutrient content with the sole aim of improving one or more of the following characteristics of the plant:
- nutrient use efficiency
- tolerance to abiotic stress
- crop quality traits.
(“Availability of confined nutrients in the soil or rhizosphere” was added during negotiations between the European Parliament and Council.)
This functional definition clarified how plant biostimulants differ from fertilisers, which supply nutrients, and from plant protection products, which control pests and diseases (biotic stress). Instead, plant biostimulants work by stimulating the plant’s nutrition processes.
The introduction of this definition was a major step forward for both regulatory clarity and agricultural innovation. It created a clear framework for the development and marketing of these products across the EU, while ensuring safety and quality for farmers.
A decade later, the vision behind the proposal continues to support innovation in agriculture. By recognising plant biostimulants within EU legislation, Europe paved the way for technologies that allow farmers around the world to improve nutrient efficiency, cope with climate stress, and produce higher-quality crops.
From research to regulation to the field, the FPR proposal marked a turning point in the adoption of plant biostimulants worldwide.