As attention increasingly turns to the next cropping year there are few things to think about as you make plans, and two topics in particular will be important to some of you, for the benefit of your business and the wider policy battles agriculture faces.

Changes to urea use

As we approach the industry ‘self-regulation’ of Option Four coming into force next April, it’s worth revisiting the key dates, and reasons why they are important.

Some of you will have used urea for a long time, others may be new to it, or may have returned to it because of the situation in the fertiliser market over the past couple of years.

Either way, at the heart of ‘Option Four’ has been the work of the NFU and industry partners to ensure you retain access to urea fertiliser, whether that’s because it’s agronomically superior for your farm, or because of the resilience and competition it brings to the fertiliser market.

We must not forget the government consultation proposed a preferred option of a ban on solid urea fertiliser, which would have been disastrous with the impact of the energy crisis and the war in Ukraine.

At shows over the summer and member events, it is clear that many NFU members have already planned ahead to ensure you comply with ‘Option Four’ a brief summary of which allows uninhibited solid urea between 15 January and 31 March each year.

Outside of these dates, you can still use inhibited solid urea. The rules for liquid are a little different, because uninhibited liquid urea is also allowed between 15 January and 31 March, but with a specific FACTS recommendation you may be able to use it outside of this period as well. Otherwise, it will also need to be inhibited.