Who gains from saving nature
Ledger 1 : 33 — For each dollar financing nature-based solutions in 2023, about $33 financed activities harmful to nature. (UNEP)
Cases / Agriculture, livestock and food · Morocco · 2025

Morocco says it cut cadmium in phosphate fertilisers; EU cannot verify the claim

Short record: the main facts, with sources. A full case file has not been prepared.

Nature's voice · report
No measurement of the harm done to me here is on record.
Did nature suffer? Not measured.
Not on record
  • The record does not name which of my species, waters, soils or forests were harmed.
What the record lacks: 1 none on record · 3 insufficient · 1 not measured See the gaps

Morocco says it has reduced cadmium in its fertilisers, but Brussels acknowledges it cannot verify this against the EU limit of 60 mg/kg.

What?
Morocco says it has reduced cadmium in its phosphate fertilisers; the EU cannot verify the claim against its 60 mg/kg limit. Bladi.net
Where?
Morocco and the European Union. Bladi.net
When?
Reported January 2025. Bladi.net
Who?
Gained
None on record
Lost
None on record
Harmed
None on record
Why?
Not stated in the sources reviewed.
How?
The EU sets a 60 mg/kg cadmium limit for fertiliser; the report said Morocco's declaration of reduced cadmium cannot be checked by the EU. Bladi.net
5 of 6 questions answered from the record · open: who

What happened

The record, in order.

Bladi.net reported in January 2025 that Morocco says it has reduced cadmium in its fertilisers.

The same report said Brussels acknowledges that it cannot verify the claim.

The EU cadmium limit for fertiliser is 60 mg/kg.

    In court and with insurers

    Every proceeding and every insurer decision on record.

    Lawsuits and rulings

    No court case on record. No court has ruled on this case.

    Insurers

    No insurer decision on record.

    What we don't know

    Undisclosed, unproven, untried: recorded as data.

    Nature

    • Not measured Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.

    Record

    • Insufficient Reported but not verified: high-cadmium phosphate producers benefit from the 60 mg/kg limit, and OCP lobbied the standard-setter.
    • Insufficient Reported but not verified: a 20 mg/kg level applies only on a voluntary basis.
    • Insufficient Reported but not verified: OCP is about 94% state-owned and is Morocco's only phosphate rock and fertiliser producer.
    • None on record The sources reviewed do not report measured cadmium levels in Moroccan fertiliser or in soil.

    Did the harm stop?

    Not stated in the sources reviewed.

    Who paid?

    Not stated in the sources reviewed.

    Sources

    Voices on record: — Company or project— Government and regulators— Courts✓ Press and investigations— Communities and civil society— Researchers

    Press and investigations

    Connected cases

    Related matters, and cases linked to this one through the same organisations, with the role each played in both.
    Terms used on this page

    Carbon and conservation finance

    Standard-setter and registry
    An organisation that writes the rules for carbon credits, approves projects, and records when credits are issued and retired. Such bodies typically charge fees per credit.
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