Russia-Ukraine war: No EU compensation for farmers on nitrogen fertilizers

Brussels –-Russian war in Ukraine and EU sanctions on fertilizers made in Russia: The European Commission does not plan any action to support European farmers. The reason is the availability of alternatives to the products coming from the East; therefore, there are no grounds — even less so — to compensate primary sector operators. Setting the record straight is Maros Sefcovic, Commissioner for Trade, in the response to the parliamentary question coming from the EPP.

Spanish Popular MEP Esther Herranz García, vice-chair of the European Parliament’s Environment Committee, looks concerned at the latest sanctions announced against Russia in response to the invasion of Ukraine, specifically concerning those on imports of nitrogen fertilizer into the EU from Russia and Belarus. “As a result, the price of such fertilizers is expected to rise, increasing the pressure on EU farmers,” the MEP complains but finds no backing from the European Commission.

“Alternative supplies are available, with market data indicating that these alternatives enter the EU market at price levels comparable to Russian fertilizers,” Sefcovic answers. In its response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s maneuvering, therefore, the EU executive expects that the restrictive measure against Russian nitrogen fertilizers “will involve a gradual and orderly replacement of Russian nitrogen-based fertilizers with alternatives, including domestically produced ones, under similar market conditions and in comparable volumes and quality, not changing present environmental impacts.” As a result, “the Commission does not anticipate the need to compensate EU farmers or grant derogations under the Nitrates Directive.“

The issue of Russian fertilizers is not new, with the Commission aware of the dependence on phosphorus-based fertilizers, which it does not intend to target with sanctions precisely because they are harder to replace with alternative producers and suppliers.  Conversely, nitrogen fertilizers are replaceable, so the EU has set its sights on them.