What are Organic Fertilisers?
The question “What is an organic fertiliser?” seems straightforward to answer, but as is often the case, the answer may be slightly more complicated than we initially thought.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines ‘organic’ as “of, relating to, or derived from living organisms,” which seems clear enough. So, it might seem logical that an organic fertiliser would be a fertiliser that is “of, relating to, or derived from living organisms.” For example, a fertiliser created from animal waste, plant-based fertilisers such as compost, and biosolids.
So, is that it? Have we answered the question? Well, not quite. Animal waste, such as manure, slurry, meat processing waste, and guano, may be used as organic fertilisers, as can plant-based matter, such as compost, or biosolids that are a product of waste-water treatment processes. But there is more to organic fertilisers than this.
What do People Mean When they Say Organic Fertiliser?
Rather than referring just to fertilisers made from organic materials, the phrase organic fertiliser is more commonly used to refer to fertilisers that can be used in organic crop production. This is where the confusion arises. So, let’s take a look at what organic production is and what this means for organic fertilisers.
The Essence of Organic Production
The precise definition of organic production varies between countries and regions, which is something we will need to come back to later, but, for example, the USDA states that:
Organic food is produced using sustainable agricultural production practices. It is produced without using most conventional pesticides, fertilisers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge, bioengineering, or ionising radiation.
This definition extends the options for organic fertilisers beyond just products from plant or animal origins. The critical aspect of organic production is that it needs to adhere to the Principles of Organic Agriculture – focusing on sustainability and natural processes rather than the material’s organic compound content.
What this means in practice varies from country to country. Different countries have specific criteria that organic producers must adhere to. These criteria detail the exact requirements growers must follow to sell their produce as ‘organic.’ This includes ensuring every input used in the organic production meets the necessary criteria.
Who Handles Organic Certification?
The good news for growers is that there are certification bodies that confirm inputs meet the standards needed for organic production. The certification bodies typically conduct inspections, audits, and lab tests to ensure that farm inputs meet the defined criteria. They may also require ongoing monitoring and re-evaluation of the inputs to maintain their organic certification status.
For example, ICL’s Polysulphate fertiliser is a natural, multi-nutrient mineral fertiliser. Polysulphate is created from the natural mineral polyhalite that is just mined, crushed, and screened, ready for application. As a natural product with no chemical processes, Polysulphate is certified for organic farming in many different countries, including the USA, Canada, Europe, and Japan.
A grower wanting to sell organic produce in the USA can see the certification body OMRI states that “Polysulphate is OMRI Listed and may be used in certified organic production or food processing and handling according to the USDA National Organic Program regulations.” This means that a grower supplying produce to organic markets in the USA can be confident that Polysulphate is an organic fertiliser.

What Organic Fertilisers Does ICL Produce?
At ICL, we are proud of our products with organic certification, empowering farmers to use sustainable practices. Our selection of organic plant nutrition products includes:
Potash
ICL’s Fine and Standard Potash from the Dead Sea Works site and our ICL Iberia Potash mine are approved for organic production, providing an excellent potassium source for crop production.
Polysulphate Standard, Granular and Mini
Polysulphate is our natural, mineral, multi-nutrient fertiliser approved for use in organic fertiliser production in countries around the world. Created from the natural mineral polyhalite, Polysulphate is a 4-in-1 fertiliser that provides four essential plant nutrients – sulphur, potassium, magnesium, and calcium – all in sulphate form.
Polysulphate’s prolonged nutrient release provides season-long nutrient availability, reducing nutrient losses and contributing to improved crop quality and higher yields.
Nutrients for Organic Crops
To achieve the high-quality produce that organic markets require, growers need high-quality, nutrient-rich fertilizers. And these fertilisers must meet the rigorous standards imposed by their target market.
With a range of organic fertilisers that are either based on organic animal and plant matter, as well as high-quality organic fertilisers, including ICL’s Potash and Polysulphate,,growers can meet their crops’ requirements, while also ensuring, thanks to the certification bodies, that their produce meets the standards that the markets, and ultimately the end users, demand.
ICL is proud of its organic fertiliser collection with the organic certification needed to empower farmers around the world to use sustainable farming practices while achieving the best quality produce.
6 Brands found

Give your crops the power of phosphate
ICL PhosphatepluS is a high quality granular fertiliser combining the benefits of triplesuperphosphate (GTSP) and Polysulphate into a single granule. PhosphatepluS supplies your crop with five essential nutrients in every granule, helping to increase the efficiency of your phosphate application and boost crop establishment and root growth. PhosphatepluS is a highly effective starter fertiliser that is suitable to be used in direct drilling or can spread up to 36 metres. Trials show that applying some potash, sulphur calcium and magnesium together with phosphate at planting, increases nutrient uptake and establishment.
View Brand
Granular potassium fertiliser combining Polysulphate and potash for improved performance
ICL PotashpluS™ is a granular fertiliser made with Polysulphate and potassium chloride. It provides crops with vital potassium, sulphur, magnesium, and calcium in a single application. ICL PotashpluS provides 37% potassium oxide, consisting of 30% potassium chloride and 7% as potassium sulphate. The sulphur, magnesium, and calcium in PotashpluS are all in 100% sulphate (SO4) form. With ICL PotashpluS, there is no need to choose between chloride or sulphate forms of potassium fertiliser: 20% of the potassium is in sulphate form, which reduces the chloride input by 50% compared with KCl.
View Brand
PK premium granulated fertilisers featuring Polysulphate
ICLPKpluS is a range of premium high quality granulated fertilisers produced by ICL. Our ICLPKpluS fertilisers are tailor made fomulations that provide five essential macronutrients in each formula. As well as phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) all of our products contain sulphur (S), magnesium (Mg) and calcium (Ca) in one single granule. These fertilisers are ideally suited for direct single application on all crops and soils for superior yield, improved quality and increased profitability. ICLPKpluS is available in a variety of grades grouped into three types: high phosphorus (P) for best plant establishment balanced phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) for a balanced and efficient nutrient supply, and high potassium (K) for extra crop quality. Tailor-made ICLPKpluS fertilisers with additional micronutrients are also available by request.
View Brand
Add up the benefits with PLUS
ICL PLUS products contain multiple nutrients that enable farmers to maximise their nutrient use efficiency. Reducing greenhouse gases and producing more food with less inputs is the major challenge facing UK farmers over the next decade. This means increasing nutrient use efficiency and ensuring crops have an adequate supply of all the nutrients they need that are essential to optimise yields. Increasingly farmers will need to focus on making the most efficient use of nutrients for both arable and grassland production. That means making the most of nutrients in the soil through regular soil testing, as well as those applied as fertilisers or manures.
View Brand
The all-year-round sulphur fertiliser of choice with a low carbon footprint
Polysulphate fertiliser offers compelling environmental and sustainability benefits, making it a preferred choice for conscientious farmers worldwide. One key advantage lies in its composition, which includes a unique blend of essential nutrients: sulphur, potassium, magnesium, and calcium. This balanced formulation minimizes the need for multiple fertilizer applications, reducing the environmental impact associated with excessive nutrient runoff and leaching. Additionally, Polysulphate is mined from natural mineral deposits, making it a sustainable resource that can be responsibly managed and replenished over time. By promoting soil health and fertility, while simultaneously minimising nutrient waste and environmental harm, Polysulphate plays a vital role in sustainable agriculture practices, ensuring the long-term viability of farming systems for generations to come. Being a natural crystal, Polysulphate has a unique dissolution pattern that releases nutrients gradually after application. This prolonged availability reduces the chance of nutrient losses while also matching the uptake requirements of crops. Polysulphate stands out as an eco-friendly choice for farmers due to its natural composition and exceptionally low carbon footprint. Polysulphate sets the standard in environmental sustainability among fertilisers, with Polysulphate Standard, Granular, and Mini having the lowest carbon footprint (compared to similar products) of just 0.0029 kilograms of CO2 equivalent per kilogram of product. Polysulphate is suitable for organic farming systems and is approved for organic use by certification agencies around the world, including Ecocert, Ceres, and OMRI.
View Brand
Superior potash fertilisers
Potash (potassium chloride, or KCl), an essential nutrient for crop nutrition, is the most highly valued and widely used potassium fertiliser in the world, delivering the nutrient to the crop efficiently. ICL’s potash is a superb source of potassium, produced at our environmentally friendly production sites. Our unique Dead Sea production site uses a natural evaporation process to produce potash. This natural process enables us to manufacture premium, high-quality potash fertilisers with a significantly lower carbon footprint than alternative products. In addition, ICL’s professional agronomic and technical teams are on hand to provide our customers with advice and support to ensure optimum potassium nutrition.
View Brand6 Products found
29 Resources found


