Food growers to benefit in gas allocation

The eagerly awaited European Commission plan to safeguard fertiliser availability is due to be published on Wednesday.

Inevitably, as the document is out for consultation between various directorates, its contents are beginning to leak.

The main thrust is that member states will be urged to give priority to fertiliser manufacturers in the allocation of gas if there are shortages this winter. Brussels will also confirm its willingness to use the agricultural crisis reserve in the Common Agricultural Policy (Cap) to tackle problems of availability and cost, as demand rises in the spring.

There will also be a new focus on more efficient fertiliser use as a long-term goal – the inevitable nod to green policies in any Brussels document.

The document will set out the roots of the crisis in the Russian attack on Ukraine and subsequent sanctions against Moscow. It will make clear that this is a global crisis for food security, rather than solely a European problem.

The concentration of the global fertiliser market, in terms of a limited number of manufacturers, is acknowledged and Brussels has already raised concerns about farmers holding back on fertiliser purchases because high prices are creating cash flow issues.

Alternatives to reliance on Russia for imports have seen Egypt become the biggest supplier to Europe.

While there is some relief Brussels has acknowledged the scale of the problem and the need to secure fertiliser production and availability in Europe, the farming lobby is concerned about some of the thinking in the commission plans.

It is uncomfortable with the attempt to link change to the green deal and netzero policies, when the real issue is economic, with scant evidence that farmers are careless in their use of fertiliser.

This has raised concerns that farmers are being blamed for problems beyond their control, with limitations on precision farming linked to the science available and the reality of unpredictable weather.

There is also concern that farmers, already paying for costly fertiliser, will be forced to pay again for some of the thinking in Brussels that could affect Cap direct payments.

FEEDING TIME: The Ukraine conflict has left Europe short of fertiliser ingredients.