UK Fertiliser Imports Sustain Russian War Revenues Amid Farmer Crisis

Since the onset of the Middle-East conflict that disrupted the Strait of Hormuz, the United Kingdom has imported roughly 34,000 tonnes of Russian urea – a nitrogen-rich fertiliser – valued at more than £8 million. The commodity, which can also be used for diesel additives and plastics, entered the UK market despite broader sanctions on Russian energy and oil.

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The closure of the Hormuz shipping lane drove global nitrogen-fertiliser prices up about 40 percent, pushing urea to around £645 per tonne. British farmers, already coping with soaring fuel costs, drought-damaged yields and the cheapest harvest in two decades, face sharply higher input expenses. The UK relies on imports for about 60 percent of its fertiliser needs, and a 35 percent tariff – initially a 6 percent surcharge on urea – has been incrementally increased but remains lower than on other Russian fertilisers.

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“This matters because Russia’s weakened yet still-functioning economy and military industry are tightly interlinked. Export earnings from energy-intensive and gas-based products help sustain a Russian state-driven industrial base whose strategic focus is expanding weapons production that targets Ukrainian civilians.” — The Government

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• UK urea imports (March-May): 33,900 tonnes – enough to fertilise 226,000 ha of wheat.

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• Russian urea export revenue (first three months of the conflict): £511 million, with the United States contributing about £225 million.

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• Russian oil and gas tax revenue rose ~40 percent year-on-year to £7.3 billion in May.

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• UK imports of Russian goods rose 9 percent in the last quarter to £85 million, while officials claim overall Russian imports are 80 percent below pre-war levels.

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These figures illustrate how the UK’s reliance on Russian fertiliser continues to channel revenue to Moscow’s war economy even as domestic agricultural producers confront mounting cost pressures.

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