Ministers urged to cut Britain's dependence on imported fertiliser

Britain’s reliance on imported fertiliser is leaving farmers and food production exposed to price and supply shocks, ministers have been warned.

The Sustainable Nitrogen Alliance is calling for government support to help farms gradually reduce their dependence on synthetic nitrogen fertiliser, arguing that doing so could strengthen food security while cutting pollution.

But the report also acknowledges that reducing fertiliser use is not a quick fix and warns that poorly managed restrictions could threaten farm productivity.

The coalition of 13 environmental organisations published its Building Resilience in UK Food Production report amid continued pressure on farm finances.

It highlighted Defra figures showing that a fifth of farms failed to make a profit in 2024/25, with fertiliser often accounting for a significant share of controllable expenditure.

The alliance argues that British agriculture is vulnerable because much of its synthetic fertiliser is imported and prices are closely linked to international gas markets.

Gareth Morgan, head of farming policy at the Soil Association, which convenes the Sustainable Nitrogen Alliance, said reducing that dependence should be viewed as an issue of national security.

He said: “This is a matter of national security. The government must plan ahead to create a funded transition away from fertiliser, rather than leave farmers and the UK’s food supply dangerously exposed to market shocks.”

The alliance pointed to disruption in the Strait of Hormuz earlier this year as an example of how international events can expose food production systems reliant on imported inputs.

Nitrogen remains an important nutrient for plant growth and food production, but the report argues that the manufacture and overuse of synthetic fertiliser is also damaging the wider environment.

Government data cited by the alliance indicates that 99% of England’s protected nature sites are experiencing excessive nitrogen levels in at least part of their habitat.

The group says this can damage biodiversity, including wildflowers, with knock-on effects for bees and other pollinators.

It wants ministers to support farmers in reducing their use of synthetic nitrogen through greater use of natural fertilisers and established farming practices.

These include growing nitrogen-fixing crops such as legumes, pulses and clovers, which take nitrogen from the atmosphere and make it available in soils.

The report also argues that emissions linked to the manufacture and use of synthetic fertiliser contribute to climate change.

Mr Morgan said there was already knowledge available to help farms lower their reliance on synthetic inputs.

“We already have the resources and knowledge available to make farming more resilient and protect nature by stopping overuse of expensive synthetic nitrogen fertiliser from harming our rivers and wildlife.”

However, moving away from synthetic fertiliser also raises practical questions over how farms can maintain production and manage costs during the transition.

Businesses which currently depend heavily on purchased fertiliser could face financial or productivity pressures if changes are introduced too rapidly.

The alliance itself cautions against an abrupt reduction.

Its report points to Sri Lanka’s restrictions on synthetic fertiliser in 2021 as an example of what can happen when farmers are not given sufficient support to maintain productivity.

Rather than an immediate withdrawal, the group is calling for a planned and funded transition towards lower-input farming.

Mr Morgan said: “In the long-term, farms moving towards a lower-input or organic system should see more stable income, but they need help to make the change as they can face an income shortfall in the early years.”

The alliance says government support schemes will therefore be crucial if farmers are expected to make significant changes to fertiliser use.

It highlighted organic conversion and management payments through programmes including the Welsh Sustainable Farming Scheme and England’s Environmental Land Management schemes.

The report also promotes agroecological, organic and mixed farming systems combining livestock and arable production.

It argues these approaches can reduce dependency on synthetic nitrogen while improving resilience and protecting soils and wildlife.

Research cited in the report suggests nature-friendly practices could deliver profitability gains of up to 45% in livestock systems and around 10% in arable and mixed farming systems.

Those findings are presented by the alliance as evidence that reducing inputs can offer financial benefits, although the report also recognises that individual farms may face an income shortfall while changing systems.

One farm highlighted is Shimpling Park Farm in Suffolk, a mixed livestock and arable business which converted to organic production 25 years ago.

The farm is trialling nitrogen-fixing crops including chickpeas and lentils and has introduced practices such as intercropping, where two crops are grown together.

Fourth-generation farmer John Pawsey said lower-input systems had helped the business cope during periods of high input costs.

He said: “In times of instability where input costs are very high, there's no doubt that organic farm systems or systems that use less or no artificial nitrogen fertilisers are better placed to cope.”

Mr Pawsey said a poor harvest in 2012 had led him to rethink the farm’s monoculture system.

“In 2012, we had a very poor harvest. I realised that our monoculture system was too simple to adapt to climate change.”

He said introducing more crop types, sowing dates and different approaches to soil management had subsequently helped build resilience into the business.

The Sustainable Nitrogen Alliance is now calling on the government to support mixed farming and wider use of nitrogen-fixing crops such as peas and beans.

It also wants nitrogen use to be tracked annually to provide a clearer picture of where it is being used and where it ultimately ends up in the environment.

The coalition is seeking a national strategy to reduce agriculture’s dependence on synthetic nitrogen, alongside action on food waste and public health policies intended to support healthier diets.