EU imports of Russian phosphate rock hit 10-year high: EU Phosphorus Index Q1–Q3 2026
EU imports of Russian phosphate rock reached 170 million euros in the first nine months of 2026, up 17% from the same period last year, according to an analysis of European Commission data by Swedish environmental company Ragn-Sells. Such levels have not been recorded since 2016.
“Phosphorus is essential for our food security. Yet more than a third of EU spending on phosphate rock imports goes to Russia. Europe cannot afford to rely on imports from an aggressive regime for a key nutrient when it has the technology to recover phosphorus from wastewater at home,” says Pär Larshans, Chief Sustainability Officer at Ragn-Sells Group.
Russia accounted for 38% of the total value of EU phosphate rock imports during the period, making it the EU’s largest supplier by import value. Morocco was second at 137 million euros, followed by South Africa at 48 million. The value of imports from Russia is up 17 percent compared to last year, reaching the highest recorded figure for the first nine months of the year since 2016.
“Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the value of EU imports of Russian phosphate rock has increased rather than declined. That is a striking development at a time when Europe is trying to reduce its dependence on imported critical raw materials,” says Pär Larshans.
Phosphorus is a key nutrient in both mineral fertilisers and animal feed and is listed by the European Union as a Critical Raw Material. Almost all phosphorus used in European agriculture is imported, as the EU’s only active phosphate mine, located in Finland, supplies less than 10 percent of agricultural demand.
Modern technologies, such as Ash2Phos from Ragn-Sells subsidiary EasyMining, can recover high-purity phosphorus from sewage sludge ash. The first large-scale Ash2Phos plant for phosphorus recovery is now being built in Schkopau, Germany. However, EU rules currently prevent recycled phosphorus from wastewater from being used in animal feed, counteracting investment and scale-up. Sweden has called for a new risk assessment from European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) as a step towards changing the legislation. ”Europe has the technology to turn phosphorus from wastewater into a valuable raw material. What is missing is a regulatory framework that allows circular phosphorus to compete on equal terms with mined phosphorus. Changing that would be an easy way for Europe to strengthen its self-sufficiency and reduce its dependence on Russia," says Jonas Hagman, CEO of EasyMining. For further comment or interviews, please contact: Pär Larshans, Chief Sustainability Officer, Ragn-Sells Group, +46 70 927 29 63, par.larshans@ragnsells.com Jonas Hagman, CEO, EasyMining, +46 70 144 84 68, jonas.hagman@easymining.com Debby Porter Laffitte, Press Officer, Ragn-Sells Group, +46 10 723 24 00, press@ragnsells.com Fact Box: Top EU phosphate rock suppliers, Jan–Sep 2026 Russia: 170 million euros (38%) Morocco: 137 million euros (30%) South Africa: 48 million euros (11%) Source: European Commission (DG AGRI). Data retrieved 16 October 2026.
Fact Box: What is Phosphorus?
Phosphorus is essential for all life and plays a key role in plant growth, making it vital for both mineral fertilisers and animal feed.
EasyMining’s Ash2Phos technology recovers more than 90 percent of the phosphorus from sewage sludge ash, enabling Europe to reduce its reliance on imported phosphorus by producing recycled phosphorus locally.
The first large-scale Ash2Phos plant is now being built in Schkopau, Germany. The recovered phosphorus product is a calcium phosphate marketed as RevoCaP.
Recycled calcium phosphate produced through Ash2Phos has been approved for use as a fertiliser in organic farming in the EU but cannot currently be used in animal feed because EU rules prohibit materials derived from wastewater. Sweden has called on the EU to review the rules.
Source: Ragn-Sells and EasyMining
