66. Renewable fertilisers: the promise of biogas digesters

In February 2022, Russia's invasion of Ukraine suddenly highlighted European agriculture's dependence on Russian nitrogen fertilisers, which are produced from fossil methane. To reduce this dependence, a circular solution is attracting growing interest in agriculture: anaerobic digestion. This involves recycling agricultural organic waste by fermenting it to obtain gases — biomethane and carbon dioxide — as well as a natural, renewable fertiliser called digestate. The 66th episode of the Food for Europe podcast takes you to meet Thomas Karle, a German cereal farmer who has been passionate about anaerobic digestion for 25 years. Sophie Bourgeteau-Sadet, a lecturer and researcher in France, talks to us about the impact of digestates on soil biology. Lucile Sever, policy advisor to the European Biogas Association, discusses the obstacles to the development of anaerobic digestion and the solutions that could change the situation. Finally, Herwig Ranner, head of the climate change team at the European Commission's Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, takes stock of the production of biogas and digestate and shares the European Union's ambitions in this area.