Definitions of bio-preparation categories
Every recipe on biopreparados.es is filed under a category. Here is what each one means, with its sources. What determines a preparation's legal status is always the function attributed to it, not its composition alone.
Products added to a preparation at the time of use to make it easier to apply to the plant: a wetting agent helps the liquid spread over the leaf instead of beading, a sticker (adhesive) helps it stay there, and an emulsifier allows oil and water to mix. Milk, aloe vera gel, saponin-rich extracts (yucca, soapwort), soap and lecithin are traditional adjuvants. In EU law, an "adjuvant" is a product placed on the market to be mixed by the user with a plant protection product (Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009, Art. 2(3)(d)); selling one requires a national authorisation (Art. 58).
Lowers the surface tension of the liquid so the droplet spreads over the leaf instead of beading; also called a spreader. Natural examples: saponins from yucca, soapwort or quillaja, soap.
Documented adjuvant ingredients : Aloe vera (leaf gel), Liquid soap or neutral detergent, Quillaja (Quillaja saponaria) extract, Soapwort (root), Yucca (Yucca schidigera) extract
Sources : UF/IFAS SS-AGR-109 — Adjuvants (Ferrell, MacDonald, Sellers) · UC ANR — Spray adjuvants: what's in a name?
Helps the deposit stay on the leaf and resist run-off and wash-off. Natural examples: milk, aloe vera gel, mucilages (prickly-pear pad, flaxseed), starches, egg white.
Documented adjuvant ingredients : Aloe vera (leaf gel), Blended prickly-pear pad, Cassava starch, Egg white, Flaxseed (mucilage), Milk
Sources : UF/IFAS SS-AGR-109 — Adjuvants (Ferrell, MacDonald, Sellers) · UC ANR — Spray adjuvants: what's in a name?
Keeps one liquid spread through another (oil in water) to form a stable emulsion. Natural examples: lecithin, gum arabic, saponins, soap.
Documented adjuvant ingredients : Gum arabic, Lecithin, Liquid soap or neutral detergent, Quillaja (Quillaja saponaria) extract, Yucca (Yucca schidigera) extract
Sources : UF/IFAS SS-AGR-109 — Adjuvants (Ferrell, MacDonald, Sellers) · Règlement (CE) n° 1333/2008 — additifs alimentaires (E 322 lécithines, E 414 gomme arabique, E 999 quillaia)
Keeps fine solid particles (ash, rock dust, clay) spread through the water so they do not settle at the bottom of the sprayer. Technical sources treat it as one of the properties of surfactants, with no legal category of its own. Natural example: gum arabic, a protective colloid.
Documented adjuvant ingredients : Gum arabic
Sources : UF/IFAS SS-AGR-109 — Adjuvants (Ferrell, MacDonald, Sellers) · EFSA (2017) — Re-evaluation of acacia gum (E 414) as a food additive
Sources : Purdue Extension WS-7 — Adjuvants and the power of the spray droplet · Ctgb (Pays-Bas) — Adjuvants · Règlement (CE) n° 1107/2009 — produits phytopharmaceutiques (art. 2 et art. 58)
A preparation containing living micro-organisms, or derived from their activity, intended to improve the availability of nutrients to the plant (nitrogen fixation, phosphorus solubilisation…). "Biofertiliser" is not an EU legal category: depending on the stated function, the product falls under fertilisers (PFC 1) or microbial biostimulants (PFC 6A) of Regulation (EU) 2019/1009.
Sources : Vessey J.K. (2003), « Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria as biofertilizers », Plant and Soil 255 · Règlement (UE) 2019/1009 — produits fertilisants UE (annexe I, catégories fonctionnelles de produits)
A product that stimulates the plant's natural nutrition processes, independently of its nutrient content, to improve nutrient use efficiency, tolerance to abiotic stress (drought, heat…), quality or the availability of soil nutrients. It is defined by the stated effect, not by its composition (PFC 6, Regulation (EU) 2019/1009).
A preparation that brings a population of selected micro-organisms (bacteria, mycorrhizal fungi, mountain micro-organisms…), multiplied on a carrier, to the soil, seeds or roots. In the EU, only a few genera (Azotobacter, Azospirillum, Rhizobium, mycorrhizal fungi) can bear the CE marking as microbial biostimulants (PFC 6A).
Sources : Bashan Y. (1998), « Inoculants of plant growth-promoting bacteria for use in agriculture », Biotechnology Advances 16 · Règlement (UE) 2019/1009 — produits fertilisants UE (annexe I, catégories fonctionnelles de produits)
Simple devices (bottles, bowls, boards) holding a food bait (sugar, vinegar, fruit) or a colour, which attract and hold insects so you can see which ones are present in the plot. In the Netherlands, the Ctgb requires no authorisation for a trap whose attractant contains no other active substance; adding an insecticide makes it a plant protection product (Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009). In the United Kingdom, a trap presented as reducing an insect population falls under the biocides regime (HSE). biopreparados.es describes these traps for observation, without claiming any control.
Sources : Ctgb (Pays-Bas) — Semiochemicals : politique sur les phéromones et attractifs · HSE (Royaume-Uni) — Insect monitoring traps · Règlement (CE) n° 1107/2009 — produits phytopharmaceutiques (art. 2 et art. 58)
Occasional supplies of nutrients to the plant (minerals, trace elements, nutrient-rich extracts), often applied to the leaves. If sold, they fall under fertilisers (PFC 1) of Regulation (EU) 2019/1009 or national fertiliser law.
A documentary category of biopreparados.es: traditional preparations (plant liquid manures, decoctions, fermented extracts…) described as accompanying the general vigour of crops. No effect against a harmful organism is claimed: such a claim would bring the product under Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 rather than fertiliser or biostimulant rules.
Sources : Règlement (UE) 2019/1009 — produits fertilisants UE (annexe I, catégories fonctionnelles de produits) · Règlement (CE) n° 1107/2009 — produits phytopharmaceutiques (art. 2 et art. 58)
Material added to the soil to maintain, improve or protect its physical or chemical properties, structure or biological activity: compost, bocashi, processed manures… Most compliant composts are organic soil improvers (PFC 3A, Regulation (EU) 2019/1009).
Documented practices and preparations for managing unwanted plants (weeds): mulching, stale seedbeds, cover crops, surface preparations… Any product presented as intended to destroy unwanted plants falls under Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 and must be authorised before sale or professional use.
Sources : Règlement (CE) n° 1107/2009 — produits phytopharmaceutiques (art. 2 et art. 58)
Substances added to a livestock preparation to make it easier to make or use (carrier, binder, emulsifier, thickener), with no effect of their own claimed. In animal feed, such substances are technological additives subject to authorisation (Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003).
Documented adjuvant ingredients :
Sources : Règlement (CE) n° 1831/2003 — additifs destinés à l'alimentation des animaux
Mixtures of minerals or nutritive materials (salts, clays, shells, molasses…) given to supplement the animals' ration. They are complementary or mineral feeds within the meaning of Regulation (EC) No 767/2009; some components (trace elements) are additives subject to Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003.
Sources : Règlement (CE) n° 767/2009 — mise sur le marché et utilisation des aliments pour animaux · Règlement (CE) n° 1831/2003 — additifs destinés à l'alimentation des animaux
Traditional preparations described in the routine care of farm animals (upkeep, comfort, the animal's surroundings). A documentary category: no veterinary claim; any product presented as preventing or treating an animal disease falls under Regulation (EU) 2019/6 on veterinary medicinal products.
Sources : Règlement (UE) 2019/6 — médicaments vétérinaires (art. 4)
Plants and plant preparations described in traditional livestock practices (forages, aromatic plants, infusions added to water or feed). A documentary category: biopreparados.es claims no preventive or curative effect; a product presented that way is a veterinary medicinal product (Regulation (EU) 2019/6).
Sources : Règlement (CE) n° 767/2009 — mise sur le marché et utilisation des aliments pour animaux · Règlement (UE) 2019/6 — médicaments vétérinaires (art. 4)
Preparations based on living micro-organisms (lactic ferments, yeasts…) described in relation to the digestive flora of farm animals. In the EU, a micro-organism added to animal feed is a zootechnical additive that must be authorised (Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003). biopreparados.es claims no health effect.
Sources : FAO/OMS (2006), Probiotics in food — Health and nutritional properties and guidelines for evaluation · Règlement (CE) n° 1831/2003 — additifs destinés à l'alimentation des animaux
Preparations described for the external hygiene of animals and their surroundings (cleaning the coat, skin, bedding). A documentary category: biopreparados.es claims no therapeutic effect; a product presented that way falls under Regulation (EU) 2019/6.
Sources : Règlement (UE) 2019/6 — médicaments vétérinaires (art. 4)
In addition to its category, every recipe and ingredient carries a regulatory status, shown by a pictogram throughout the site.
The substance or recipe appears on an official list (EU basic substance, national list of inputs permitted in organic farming). The flags show the territories.
Allowed only under conditions, for example the certification body's approval, a maximum dose (copper), a limited use or crop, or the origin of the materials (no manure from factory farming).
No rule forbids it when it is made and used on your own farm. The rules cover sale and claims: do not attribute any effect against harmful organisms (pests, fungi, bacteria, viruses) to it and do not sell it without authorisation.
No authorisation covers this farm-made preparation in the EU. It may be allowed in other countries: see the flags.
Its regulatory status has not been validated yet.
The 5 statuses in detail, with examples: Legislation page
⚖️ Full legal framework: Legislation page
A documentary summary, not legal advice. Check your country's regulations before any use.