The NFU has today outlined its Fertiliser Resilience Plan, setting out a series of immediate actions needed from government and the farming industry as UK farm businesses continue to face rising production costs due to the war in the Middle East.
In April, fertiliser prices increased by almost 40% compared to pre-Iran conflict levels, and they remain elevated.
The price of fertiliser has already exceeded £500/t several times since the conflict began, with urea having reached £635/t and imported ammonium nitrate hitting £535/t.
UK vulnerability to global shocks
The UK is particularly vulnerable to global shocks, importing around 60% of its nitrogen fertiliser and the remainder which is processed or produced domestically using wholly imported ammonia.
NFU President Tom Bradshaw said: “British farmers and growers continue to be placed under immense pressure as a result of the conflict in the Middle East, which is squeezing budgets and knocking business confidence.
“Fertiliser for 2027 must be affordable. If it is not, some farmers and growers could be left facing incredibly tough decisions about whether to try to grow a crop with reduced fertiliser applications, or whether to plant at all.”
NFU President Tom Bradshaw
“The increasing costs of fertiliser, energy and fuel in the run-up to this year’s harvest have already made things incredibly challenging for farm businesses.
“While the 2026 harvest is yet to begin, farming is all about looking ahead and many will already be turning their attention to making decisions about next year’s crops.”
Tough decisions
“Fertiliser for 2027 must be affordable. If it is not, some farmers and growers could be left facing incredibly tough decisions about whether to try to grow a crop with reduced fertiliser applications, or whether to plant at all. It is vital both industry and government take the necessary actions now to help ease this strain.
“In the long term, it all comes down to resilience. We can't keep being collateral damage to global politics. We need to find ways to build fairness, transparency and support into our domestic food production system so we can continue to feed 70 million people three times a day.”
#YourHarvest
The NFU’s announcement of its Fertiliser Resilience Plan comes on the day its #YourHarvest campaign begins, aimed at promoting and celebrating the work British arable farmers do to turn crops in their fields into the country's food and drink.
Farmers are encouraged to showcase their hard work by posting videos to social media and using the #YourHarvest hashtag.
NFU Combinable Crops Board Chair Jamie Burrows said: “The #YourHarvest campaign is a great opportunity to shine a light on all the incredible work farmers are doing to produce the food and drink that keeps the nation going. This is especially important to highlight given the unprecedented challenges farmers and growers are facing at the moment.
“Fertiliser is a key input that British farmers rely on to grow the crops that eventually end up on your kitchen table. To ensure successful harvests both this year and in the years to come, we must ensure it is readily available at a reasonable cost to farmers.”
As farmers and growers turn their attention to the 2027 growing season, the NFU has set out the following actions aimed at delivering short-term resilience and affordability, and to safeguard our domestic food production.
They include:
- Set trigger point for direct support: Should imported ammonium nitrate hit a trigger point of £500/t1, government should launch a mirror of EU compensation schemes. Under this scheme, growers would be permitted to claim support covering up to 70% of the additional fertiliser costs, up to £50,000.
- CBAM (Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism): Government to postpone CBAM and conduct a market review in 12 months. Introduction of CBAM could further increase fertiliser costs, create import friction, and risk sparking further food price inflation.
- Knowledge exchange on nutrient management: AHDB to tackle information gaps on nutrient management to address the market failure and minimise risk that growers reduce/delay applying essential nutrients, potentially harming crop productivity, which is particularly relevant in the event of switching to a different product.
- Additional transparency in the fertiliser market: AHDB to provide additional insights and transparency on the fertiliser supply chain, such as trade, stocks, usage and relative pricing to address market failure and enable growers to make rational decisions at the point of purchase.
See our full list of asks NFU outlines 8 key asks as Middle East conflict continues to impact on farmers.
