The Middle East oil and gas crisis is a significant problem for UK farming because it directly drives up the cost and restricts the availability of essential agricultural inputs—specifically fertiliser, fuel (red diesel), and energy for greenhouses—which are vital for spring planting, crop growth, and livestock care. The conflict has disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for urea and energy, leading to a surge in production costs for nitrogen-based fertilisers and a sharp rise in fuel prices.
Fertilisers are one of the biggest costs for farmers. The problem is that any disruption in supply leads to higher gas prices and surges in fertiliser prices. A farmer in the South East of England, in an interview for the BBC said, “Last June, we bought some fertiliser for £350 per tonne. I went into the market today to buy some and it was £630 for the same amount.”
The UK is dependent on imported fertiliser
Over the decades since WWII, farming has become more and more reliant upon artificial fertilisers and the UK now imports around 60% of its supply. This is a high-risk strategy and, as with many other countries, we have no option ‘B’ readily available. This means farm production and food security in the UK is at risk.
Farmers need fertiliser. It delivers essential agricultural nutrients – primarily nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium – used to replenish soil fertility and boost crop yields. Fertilisers accelerate plant growth, improve food quality, and enable high-density farming to meet food production demands, allowing crops to thrive in soil that might otherwise be nutrient-depleted.
Farmers can’t just swallow the increased costs. Some farmers may use less fertiliser, therefore yields will go down and income and profitability for the farm will reduce. Some farmers may not even sow new crops. This will have an impact on subsequent food availability and lead to higher food prices. Farmers will try to pass some of the costs on and that affects the whole economy of the country. In the worst-case scenario the rise in fertiliser prices could lead to a recession.
Sadly, the Government has failed to develop an alternative strategy to importing fertilisers. One obvious way out is that we must reduce reliance on imports by investing in sustainable, home-produced fertilisers and adopting appropriate less fertiliser-intensive farming methods. Solutions such as organic manure, cover crops and low-till systems can cut emissions, improve soil health and build a more resilient agricultural system for the future.
The Government should have been implementing a plan to avoid large scale imports of fertiliser and nitrogen years ago. Unfortunately, with imports accounting for 60% of fertiliser usage now, there is no quick way around this.
More sustainable options
We can get started on an alternative strategy right now. This would be based on sustainable alternatives to industrial fertiliser and a transition to ‘No-Till’ or minimum tillage. ‘No-till’ can reduce nitrous oxide emissions by 40-70%, helping reduce global warming gases.
These ‘sustainable’ fertilisers have many benefits: improved soil health, with improving structure and more beneficial microbial activity. They turn waste into resources, fostering a circular economy rather than relying on fossil-fuel-intensive production. Also pollution is reduced. There is lower risk of nutrient runoff into water bodies, reducing environmental contamination.
The many examples of sustainable sources of fertilisers:
- Compost & Manure: Well-rotted farmyard manure, horse manure, or garden compost provide a broad spectrum of nutrients and boosts organic matter.
- Microbial Inoculants & Bio-fertilisers: Such as beneficial bacteria/fungi (mycorrhizae), provide nutrients without the environmental damage of synthetic options, to improve nutrient uptake and convert atmospheric nitrogen.
- Seaweed Extract: Used as a liquid feed or soil conditioner, this provides micronutrients.
- Bio-fertilisers & stimulants: Products containing algae, bacteria, and fungi improve soil microbes and nutrient availability, reducing the need for chemical nitrogen.
- Food/Industrial Waste Recycling: New, low-carbon fertilisers manufactured in the UK from waste materials like sewage sludge.
- Compost: Decomposed organic matter from food scraps and yard waste, which adds nutrients and improves soil structure.
- Cover Crops: Crops like clover, vetches or rye planted specifically to be tilled back into the soil, adding organic matter and nutrients, improve nitrogen levels.
- Biochar: A charcoal-like substance that improves water retention, nutrient availability and soil health.
- Vermicompost: Worm castings that provide a high concentration of plant-available nutrients.
- Bio-based Products: Technologies using waste carbon dioxide, anaerobic digestate, or food waste to produce nutrient-rich, slow-release fertilisers.
And then we need to change our ploughing methods. No-till, or minimum tillage is a method of planting crops without turning over the soil, instead sowing seeds directly into the residue of the previous crop. Ploughing releases carbon dioxide from the soil into the atmosphere. No-till keeps this carbon locked in the ground. No till improves moisture retention and reduces erosion. Farmers save on fuel and labour costs by making fewer trips across the field and greenhouses are reduced.
More alarming stories to come
None of this is going to happen overnight but the farming industry and the government need to be getting serious about this now. In this new world of real politik, having our food security dependent on imports from halfway round the world makes no sense at all.
As we go to press, the BBC is reporting on the possibility of food shortages by the summer if the Iran war continues. This is partly because of a breakdown in the supply of carbon dioxide (used in the slaughter of some animals and in food preservation) but also because of a wider supply chain disruption, including fertiliser.
Jo Gilbertson, head of the fertiliser sector at the Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC), warned that if farmers are put off making advanced orders for fertiliser due to rising prices it could have an impact on “planting decisions in autumn …. that’s when we end up with a potential food crisis, if the fertiliser and the fuel costs are too much”.
The point is that unless the situation is resolved pretty soon there will be many more alarming stories like this.
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