New urea standards come into effect on 1 April in England

Farmers in England should only be using urea that has been treated with a urease inhibitor from Monday 1 April under the terms of a new Red Tractor standard.

The rule forms part of a new voluntary industry scheme, designed to help the government achieve its ammonia emissions reduction targets, without the need for full regulations or a urea ban.

See also: Why urea fertiliser use is changing this spring

A statement from an industry-wide stakeholder group (including the Agricultural Industries Confederation, the Association of Independent Crop Consultants, Basis, the Country Land and Business Association, the NFU, Niab and Red Tractor) stresses the importance of solid urea as a tool for British farmers and growers.

“It offers the flexibility to use the right product at the right time to minimise environmental impact, while also helping to maintain a competitive fertiliser market,” it says.

“As an industry, we fought hard for nearly two years to achieve a robust and pragmatic self-regulation approach and put forward a strong case to Defra, without which we would have seen a ban imposed on the use of solid urea fertilisers.”

Delayed

Originally, it was intended that the new scheme would come into effect from 1 April 2023, but this was delayed for a year to allow for the turbulent state of the fertiliser market at the time to return to normal.

“After a delay of 12 months and with fertiliser markets returning to normal, the new approach will start from 1 April,” says the industry statement.

Farmers and growers are reminded that they should only use uninhibited solid urea between 15 January and 31 March. It is allowed then as ammonia losses are negligible in colder, wetter conditions.

Outside of this window, solid urea must be used with an inhibitor.

In limited situations, liquid urea can be used without an inhibitor from 1 April to the last application in the autumn, “as long as this has been approved by a Facts-qualified adviser on the professional register”.

While there is a price premium to pay for treated urea – about £40-£45/t – there can also be a 0.2-0.3t/ha yield benefit, which can offset this cost.

“The industry believes this self-regulated option will see a high uptake by farmers and growers and minimise costs, while ensuring an acceptable emissions reduction is achieved for Defra,” the statement concludes.