EU plan to end Russian fertiliser imports unsettles farmers

THE EU’s plans to impose tariffs on fertiliser imports from Russia in a bid to increase pressure on Moscow over the Ukraine war have alarmed European farmers worried about possible price hikes.

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More than a quarter of the 27-nation’s imports of nitrogen-based fertilisers come from Russia, with more flowing in from Moscow’s ally Belarus.

The European Commission wants the flow - around 3.6 million tons - to end. This would dent Russia’s war coffers, support local producers and reduce Europe’s dependency on a foe that could use it as leverage, according to Brussels.

It will also prevent the indirect export of Russian gas, which is used to produce fertilisers, said a European diplomat. But not everyone is happy.

"Russian fertilisers are the most competitive in terms of price, due to well-established logistics for supplying the EU," said Dominique Dejonckheere of pan-European farmers’ group Copa-Cogeca.

"We have the feeling that farmers are being forgotten."