DIN EN 16318:2016-07

In addition to nutrients and organic matter, heavy metals and organic pollutants may also enter the soil. In order to keep the risks as low as possible, the requirements for product quality and product safety of fertilizers have considerably increased. In the future, the requirements and official controls of fertilizers will focus on controlling heavy metal contents (risk aspect) not only on the national level but also within the European market and, as a result, make an important contribution to the environmental and consumer protection. Validated analytical techniques are the basis of comparable controls. With the entry into force of Regulation (EC) No. 463/2013 these requirements also apply to lime fertilizers marketed as EC fertilizers. In order to take account of this the scope of European Standard EN 16318:2013 was expanded to lime fertilizers as part of Amendment 1. The analytical methods specified in the European Standard (Method A: Determination of chromate after water extraction by photometry and Method B: Determination of chromate by alkaline digestion and ion chromatography) were investigated on three different lime fertilizer matrices in an interlaboratory test. As in the analysis of mineral fertilizer samples, no chromate was detected in the lime fertilizer samples tested. To demonstrate that the method is in principle suitable for the detection of chromate, the results of a validation study with spiked water samples have been included as informative Annex B. The present consolidated version incorporates the changes adopted in a draft amendment concerning title, scope and clause precision. The European Standard has been prepared in CEN/TC 260 "Fertilizers and lime fertilizers" (Secretariat: DIN, Germany) under German project and interlaboratory test management. National mirroring took place at Working Committee NA 057-03-02 AA "Düngemittel" ("Fertilizers") at DIN Standards Committee Food and Agricultural Products (NAL). Work on the project took place within the framework of Mandate M/418 given to CEN by the European Commission and the European Free Trade Association.