Chatham joins Safer Phosphates

NEWS RELEASE 17-32 November 22, 2017


Chatham joins Safer Phosphates
WELLINGTON New Zealand – Chatham Rock Phosphate Limited (TSXV: “NZP” and NZAX:
“CRP” or the “Company") advises that we have joined joined Safer Phosphates, an
organization created to promote the use of safer phosphates. The organization has been
formed by stakeholders concerned about the potential health risks posed by heavy metal
content in phosphate and includes other phosphate producers or near producers such as
Arianne Phosphates, PhosAgro PJSC of Russia and Foskor of South Africa.
As Chatham announced recently the EU executive proposed the limit be set at 60mg/kg,
falling to 40mg after three years and 20mg after 12 years under planned rules for fertilisers
carrying the CE mark. It was agreed that producers need longer transition periods before
the introduction of the lower limits.
These limits are significantly lower than the voluntary limit of 280 parts per million imposed
in New Zealand.
The European Environmental Bureau, a 140-strong network of organisations, welcomed the
outcome of the vote, noting “farming remains the last major bastion of cadmium exposure”.
Cadmium is a carcinogen and also linked to osteoporosis, kidney failure, heart disease, and
fertility problems, said Faustine Bas-Defossez, in charge of agriculture policy at EEB.
“Around 910,000 adults in France alone exceed tolerable intake limits of cadmium by 90%,”
she said.
The reduced cadmium limits will affect a significant proportion of traded rock phosphate
including rock sourced from Egypt, Israel, Boucraa & Youssoufia (Western Sahara/Morocco),
Senegal, Togo, Tunisia, Nauru and Christmas Island.

According to Chatham Rock Phosphate managing director Chris Castle “rock from these
sources will not be able to be sold in Europe unless the existing high levels of cadmium have
been removed. Even if this is possible it will add another layer of costs.

“The good news is that cadmium levels in Chatham Rise rock phosphate are among the
lowest in the world.”
About Safer Phosphates
Safer Phosphates is a collaboration of several current and pending producers, as well as
other stakeholders, to share knowledge and address concerns about potentially harmful

contaminants such as heavy metals that are present in some phosphate-based fertilizers.
The goal is to improve the understanding of the potential risks and promote solutions that
optimize healthier fertilizer choice to support food security and sustainable agriculture.
About Chatham Rock Phosphate

Chatham Rock Phosphate is the custodian of New Zealand’s only material resource of
environmentally friendly pastoral phosphate fertiliser. Our key role is connecting the
resource with those who need it.

Using this phosphate will support sustainable farming practices, including healthier soils and
reduced accumulation of the heavy metal cadmium, reducing carbon emissions and
dramatically lowering runoff to waterways and shrinking fertiliser needs over time.

The resource represents one of New Zealand’s most valuable mineral assets and is of huge
strategic significance because phosphate is essential to maintain New Zealand’s high
agricultural productivity.

New Zealand’s current access to phosphate is vulnerable to economic and political events in
the six countries controlling 98% of the world’s phosphate reserves, with 85% of the total in
the Western Saharan state of Morocco.

Chatham takes very seriously the responsibility vested in it through its mining permit to use
the world’s best knowledge and technology to safely extract this resource to help
sustainably feed the world.

Our initial environmental consenting process independently established extraction would
have no significant impact on fishing yields or profitability, marine mammals or seabirds.


For more information contact Chris Castle on 021 55 82 85 or chris@widespread.co.nz or
check out www.rockphosphate.co.nz

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policies of the Exchange), or New Zealand Exchange Limited has in any way passed upon the
merits of the Transaction and associated transactions, and has neither approved nor
disapproved of the contents of this press release.