Only fertilising products that comply with the applicable national or EU legislation may be placed on the market in Finland.
Registration as an Economic Operator in the Fertiliser Sector
Before starting operations, the importer must submit a written start-up notification to the Finnish Food Authority’s Control Register.
Instructions for registration can be found here.
If the importer is established outside the European Union, the operator must have at least an authorised representative in Finland.
Prior Notification of Import
A prior notification of imported consignments must be submitted to the Finnish Food Authority no later than three working days before the goods arrive at the point of import. The notification is submitted using the Prior Import Notification form (in Finnish Maahantuonnin ennakkoilmoitus).
The following documents must be attached to the prior notification:
- a product specification;
- a commercial invoice or other equivalent document;
- a test report on the concentrations of harmful substances in the fertiliser product (As, Hg, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Ni and Zn; mg/kg dry matter);
- a test report on the hygienic quality of a fertiliser product containing organic matter.
A prior notification is not required for imports of:
- raw materials for fertiliser products;
- fertiliser products intended for a research institution;
- fertiliser products intended for own use;
- EU fertilising products (CE-marked fertilising products); or
- fertiliser products in transit.
However, for EU fertilising products, the product EU Declaration of Conformity and product specification must be submitted to Customs as attachments to the customs clearance documents. In addition, test reports on resistance to detonation and oil retention capacity must be provided for high-nitrogen ammonium nitrate fertilisers.
Import Restrictions
Imported consignments must comply with the product category-specific requirements and limit values established for harmful substances and hygiene.
In addition, the maximum cadmium (Cd) content of inorganic phosphorus fertilisers must be taken into account:
- From 1 August 2026 to 31 July 2028, inorganic phosphorus fertilisers placed on the market may contain a maximum of 100 mg Cd/kg P (44 mg Cd/kg P₂O₅).
- From 1 August 2028 onwards, inorganic phosphorus fertilisers imported into Finland may contain a maximum of 50 mg Cd/kg P (22 mg Cd/kg P₂O₅).
The import of growing media and soil materials containing organic matter from outside the European Union is prohibited, with the exception of Switzerland. The import prohibition does not apply to pure peat or coconut fibre if they have not previously been used in plant production or agriculture.
High-nitrogen ammonium nitrate fertilisers containing more than 28% nitrogen derived from ammonium nitrate must comply with the requirements of Regulation (EU) 2019/1009.
Products authorised on the basis of mutual recognition may not be imported from countries outside the European Union.
Fertilising products containing animal by-products are always subject to a veterinary border control inspection. Animal by-products contained in fertilising products must comply with the requirements of the Animal By-Products Regulation.
Record-Keeping and Reporting Obligations
Records must be maintained of imported consignments and imported quantities. Information on the products must be reported annually to the Finnish Food Authority through an annual notification submitted in the Touko online service. Operators are also subject to the record-keeping and reporting requirements laid down in the Fertiliser Act.
Fees
Registration as an economic operator in the fertiliser sector, processing of annual notifications and import notifications, and the examination of official control samples are subject to fees in accordance with the current price list of the Finnish Food Authority.