Yara struggles with feed-grade urea supplies
© Tim Scrivener Livestock farmers in the UK could struggle to get hold of feed-grade urea in the short term following reports of issues affecting production at one of Yara’s plants.
The fertiliser company has reportedly called force majeure on its feed-grade urea contracts as a result of the disruption.
One agricultural consultancy firm said: “As a result, there will be significant supply issues with feed-grade urea for the foreseeable future.”
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Farmers are being encouraged to reduce urea use in feed rations to hold onto existing stocks for as long as possible.
Yara initially avoided confirming these reports when contacted by Farmers Weekly.
A spokesperson for Yara said: “Yara operates a wide network of production plants and terminals. We continuously adjust our overall production capacity based on a variety of factors, including operational, price, demand and outlook.
“We therefore do not provide frequent updates on short-lasting stops and starts of specific plants.”
However, when questioned on how potential disruption would impact farm businesses, a Yara spokesperson added: “We expect little disruption to UK customers in the short term, but are in close dialogue with them.”