prEN 18299

Soil improvers and growing media - Methods for the detection of Salmonella spp. and the enumeration of Escherichia coli and enterococci

This document refers to methods to be used for the detection of Salmonella spp. and the enumeration of Escherichia coli and enterococci in soil improvers and growing media, but does not contain the methods themselves.
This document is applicable to the fertilizing product blends where a blend is a mix of two or more fertilising products belonging to the categories of fertilizers, liming material, soil improvers, growing media, inhibitors and plant biostimulants, and where soil improvers and/or growing media are the components with the highest percentage in the blend by mass or volume, or in the case of products in liquid form by dry mass. If the soil improvers and/or growing media are not the components with the highest percentage in the blend, the European Standard relevant to the component with the highest percentage in the blend applies. In case a blend is composed of fertilising products mixed in equal quantities, the user of the standard decides which standard to apply.
NOTE   A soil improver or a growing medium consists of a single bulky (volume-building) component or a mix of bulky (volume-building) components (for example peat, wood fibres, coconut coir, compost, expanded perlite).

Bodenverbesserungsmittel und Kultursubstrate - Verfahren zum Nachweis von Salmonella spp. und zur Auszählung von Escherichia coli und Enterokokken

Dieses Dokument bezieht sich auf zum Nachweis von Salmonella spp. und die Zählung von Escherichia coli und Enterokokken in Bodenverbesserungsmitteln und Kultursubstraten anzuwendende Verfahren, beinhaltet aber nicht die Verfahren selbst.
Dieses Dokument ist anwendbar auf Düngeproduktmischungen, bei denen eine Mischung aus mindestens zwei Düngeprodukten der folgenden Kategorien besteht: Düngemittel, Kalkdünger, Bodenverbesserungsmittel, Kultursubstrate, Hemmstoffe und Pflanzen-Biostimulanzien, sowie wenn Bodenverbesserungsmittel und/oder Kultursubstrate den höchsten Prozentsatz in der Mischung bezüglich Masse oder Volumen, oder im Falle von flüssigen Formen bezüglich Trockenmasse ausmachen. Wenn die Bodenverbesserungsmittel und/oder Kultursubstrate nicht den höchsten Prozentsatz in der Mischung ausmachen, gilt die Europäische Norm für die Komponente mit dem höchsten Prozentsatz der Mischung. Im Falle, dass die Düngeproduktmischung aus Komponenten gleicher Menge besteht, entscheiden die Anwender, welche Norm angewendet wird.
ANMERKUNG   Ein Bodenverbesserungsmittel bzw. ein Kultursubstrat besteht aus einer einzigen schüttfähigen (Volumen aufbauenden) Komponente oder aus einer Mischung schüttfähiger (Volumen aufbauender) Komponenten (z. B. Torf, Holzfasern, Kokosfasern, Kompost, Blähperlit).

Amendements du sol et supports de culture - Méthodes de recherche des Salmonella spp. et de dénombrement des Escherichia coli et des entérocoques

Le présent document se réfère aux méthodes à utiliser pour la recherche des Salmonella spp. et le dénombrement des Escherichia coli et des entérocoques dans les amendements du sol et les supports de culture, mais ne contient pas les méthodes elles-mêmes.
Le présent document est applicable aux mélanges de fertilisants constitués d’au moins deux fertilisants appartenant aux catégories suivantes : engrais, amendements minéraux basiques, amendements du sol, supports de culture, inhibiteurs et biostimulants des végétaux et, dans lesquels les amendements du sol et/ou les supports de culture sont les composants qui représentent le pourcentage le plus élevé du mélange en masse ou en volume, ou dans le cas d’un liquide, en masse sèche. Si les amendements du sol et/ou les supports de culture ne sont pas les composants qui représentent le pourcentage le plus élevé du mélange, la Norme européenne applicable au composant ayant le pourcentage le plus élevé dans le mélange s’applique. Dans le cas où le mélange de fertilisants est constitué de composants en quantités égales, l’utilisateur décide quelle norme appliquer.
NOTE   Un amendement du sol ou un support de culture se compose d’un seul composant volumineux (augmentant le volume) ou d’un mélange de composants volumineux (augmentant le volume) (par exemple, la tourbe, les fibres de bois, la fibre de coco, le compost, la perlite expansée).

Izboljševalci tal in rastni substrati - Metode za ugotavljanje prisotnosti Salmonella spp. ter ugotavljanje števila Escherichia coli in enterokokov

General Information

• Status: Not Published
• Publication Date: 28-Feb-2027
• ICS: 65.080 - Fertilizers
• Technical Committee: CEN/TC 223 - Soil improvers and growing media
• Drafting Committee: CEN/TC 223/WG 6 - Harmonization
• Current Stage: 4060 - Closure of enquiry - Enquiry
• Start Date: 16-Apr-2026
• Due Date: 01-Jan-2026
• Completion Date: 16-Apr-2026
• Directive: Not Harmonized2003/2003 - Regulation (EC) N° 2003/2003 of the European Parlament and of the council of 13 October 2003 relating to fertilisers
• Directive:

  ---

  Harmonized Standard2019/1009 - Regulation (EU) 2019/1009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 June 2019 laying down rules on the making available on the market of EU fertilising products and amending Regulations (EC) No 1069/2009 and (EC) No 1107/2009 and repealing Regulation (EC) No 2003/2003 (Text with EEA relevance)
• Mandate: M/564 - Fertilising products in support of Regulation (EU) 2019/1009
• Mandate: M/564 AMD 1 - amending Implementing Decision C(2020) 612 as regards certain harmonised standards and standardisation deliverables, deadlines for their adoption and the duration of the validity of the standardisation request
• Mandate: M/564 AMD 2 - Commission Implementing decision amending Implementing Decision C(2020)612 as regards harmonised standards, the deadlines for the adoption of those standards and the duration of the validity of the standardisation request to the European Committee for Standardisation as regards the EU fertilising products in support of Regulation (EU) 2019/1009 of the European Parliament and of the Council
• Mandate: M/XXX - Commission implementing decision of XXX.XX.XX on a standardisation request to the European standardisation organisations as regards ecodesign requirments for local space heaters in support of Regulation (EU) 2024/1103
• Ref Project: oSIST prEN 18299:2026 - Soil improvers and growing media - Methods for the detection of Salmonella spp. and the enumeration of Escherichia coli and enterococci

Overview

prEN 18299 is a European draft standard developed by CEN (European Committee for Standardization) that specifies reference methods for the detection of Salmonella spp. and the enumeration of Escherichia coli and enterococci in soil improvers and growing media. Although the standard does not contain the analytical methods themselves, it defines the circumstances and context for their application within the realm of fertilizing product blends. The standard supports the safety and regulatory compliance of products such as soil improvers and growing media, in line with EU Regulation (EU) 2019/1009 on the market availability of EU fertilising products.

Key Topics

• Detection of Salmonella spp.: Outlines which referenced methods are to be used to assess the presence of Salmonella spp., a key microbial safety criterion for soil improvers and growing media.
• Enumeration of Escherichia coli and Enterococci: Establishes the requirement to determine the number of E. coli and enterococci present, which serve as indicator organisms for faecal contamination and sanitary quality.
• Product Categories Covered: Applies to blends of fertilizing products where soil improvers and/or growing media constitute the largest component by mass or volume. Covers a broad spectrum, including fertilizers, liming materials, inhibitors, and plant biostimulants, with a focus on blends where bulky components-such as peat, wood fibres, coconut coir, compost, or perlite-are predominant.
• Standard Application Guidance: Provides a decision framework for which standard applies based on the composition of blended products, aiding consistency and regulatory clarity.

Applications

prEN 18299 plays an important role in ensuring the microbiological safety and regulatory compliance of soil improvers and growing media across the European market. Key applications include:

• Quality Assurance in Production: Enables manufacturers, suppliers, and quality control laboratories to reference appropriate test methods for microbial safety, enhancing product safety and public health.
• Regulatory Compliance: Supports producers in meeting the microbiological requirements stipulated under EU Regulation (EU) 2019/1009, particularly for product function categories PFC 3 (soil improvers) and PFC 4 (growing media).
• Market Access: Facilitates conformity assessment and easier access to EU markets for fertilizing products, by providing a recognized reference for pathogen monitoring.
• Blended Product Consistency: Assists in proper application of microbiological testing by clarifying which standard applies in the context of multi-component fertilizing product blends.

Typical users of this standard include fertilizer manufacturers, compost producers, horticultural substrate suppliers, test laboratories, and market surveillance authorities.

Related Standards

prEN 18299 references and connects with several standards relevant to soil improvers and growing media:

• EN 12579:2024: Defines methods for sampling soil improvers and growing media.
• prEN 13040-2:2025: Specifies procedures for sample preparation for microbiological examination.
• prEN 18278:2026: Details method for detection of Salmonella spp. in soil improvers and growing media.
• prEN 18279:2026: Covers enumeration of enterococci.
• prEN 18280:2026: Addresses enumeration of Escherichia coli.
• prEN 17732:2025: Provides terminology for soil improvers and growing media.

These interconnected standards form an essential toolkit for ensuring the safety, quality, and compliance of fertilizing products within Europe’s regulatory framework.

Keywords: prEN 18299, soil improvers, growing media, Salmonella detection, Escherichia coli enumeration, enterococci, fertilizing products, EU Regulation 2019/1009, quality assurance, CEN standards, microbiological safety, soil amendment compliance.

Standards Content (Sample)

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-marec-2026
Izboljševalci tal in rastni substrati - Metode za ugotavljanje prisotnosti Salmonella
spp. ter ugotavljanje števila Escherichia coli in enterokokov
Soil improvers and growing media - Methods for the detection of Salmonella spp. and the
enumeration of Escherichia coli and enterococci
Organische Bodenverbesserungsmittel und Kultursubstrate - Nachweis spezifischer
Pathogene
Amendements du sol et supports de culture - Méthodes de recherche des Salmonella
spp. et de dénombrement des Escherichia coli et des entérocoques
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: prEN 18299
ICS:
65.080 Gnojila Fertilizers
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

DRAFT
EUROPEAN STANDARD
NORME EUROPÉENNE
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
January 2026
ICS 65.080
English Version
Soil improvers and growing media - Methods for the
detection of Salmonella spp. and the enumeration of
Escherichia coli and enterococci
Amendements du sol et supports de culture - Méthodes Bodenverbesserungsmittel und Kultursubstrate -
de recherche des Salmonella spp. et de dénombrement Verfahren zum Nachweis von Salmonella spp. und zur
des Escherichia coli et des entérocoques Auszählung von Escherichia coli und Enterokokken
This draft European Standard is submitted to CEN members for enquiry. It has been drawn up by the Technical Committee
CEN/TC 223.
If this draft becomes a European Standard, CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations
which stipulate the conditions for giving this European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration.

This draft European Standard was established by CEN in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other
language made by translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC
Management Centre has the same status as the official versions.

CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and
United Kingdom.
Recipients of this draft are invited to submit, with their comments, notification of any relevant patent rights of which they are
aware and to provide supporting documentation.

Warning : This document is not a European Standard. It is distributed for review and comments. It is subject to change without
notice and shall not be referred to as a European Standard.

EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATIO N

EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUN G

CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels
© 2026 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. prEN 18299:2026 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.

Contents Page
European foreword . 3
Introduction . 4
1 Scope . 5
2 Normative references . 5
3 Terms and definitions . 5
4 Sampling and sample preparation . 5
5 Detection and enumeration . 6
Annex ZA (informative) Relationship of this European Standard and the essential requirements of
Regulation (EU) 2019/1009 making available on the market of EU fertilising products
aimed to be covered . 7
Bibliography . 8
European foreword
This document (prEN 18299:2026) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 223 “Soil
improvers and growing media”, the secretariat of which is held by NEN.
This document is currently submitted to the CEN Enquiry.
This document has been prepared under a standardisation request addressed to CEN by the European
Commission. The Standing Committee of the EFTA States subsequently approves these requests for its
Member States.
For the relationship with EU Legislation, see informative Annex ZA, which is an integral part of this
document.
Introduction
Different product functions warrant different product safety, quality and quantity requirements adapted
to their different intended uses. EU fertilizing products have therefore been divided into different product
function categories (PFCs), which are subject to specific safety, quality and quantity requirements, as
specified in the Regulation (EU) 2019/1009 [1].
Soil improvers have been classified as PFC 3, growing media have been classified as PFC 4. The specific
requirements in relation to specific pathogens (Escherichia coli, enterococci and Salmonella spp
...