Farmers must face up to world without nitrogen fertiliser

Instead the industry must revert to age-old techniques to maintain soil fertility through crop rotation, he said.

“Nitrogen fertiliser has unacceptable emissions. Farmers need to change maintain nutrition through rotation of crops. This will result in a change in agricultural output and a change in diet but there is no alternative,” he said.

Roger Williams, Liberal Democrat agricultural spokesman, agreed the application of inorganic nitrogen was ‘too expensive’ in emissions.

Appropriately he said market forces were already forcing farmers to making better use of nitrogen which was becoming increasing expensive.

Hilary Benn, Defra Secretary, added to Mr Williams’ point. “Hands up who thinks the price of oil is going to go down in the next 20 to 30 years?” asked Mr Benn to emphasise his point that the price of fossil fuel-reliant fertilisers would necessitate a change in farm practice.

Shadow farming Minister Jim Paice said the Soil Association was ‘being optimistic’ if it wanted to see the end of nitrogen fertiliser within 15 years ‘because it would lead to a dramatic decline in agricultural production’.

But he agreed the industry would have to take ‘great strides’ to reduce its reliance on nitrogen fertilisers.

“Clearly the usage is going to go down through precision work, placing the fertiliser at exactly the spot the crop needs it and when the crop can best utilise. These are the types of technological advancements we need to encourage,” he said.

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