Today, IFA (Irish Farmer's Association) President Tim Cullinan met with Cabinet of Trade Commissioner Dombrovskis to address the crisis in the fertilizer sector. He also communicated the COPA request for a suspension of anti-dumping duties on imports of liquid fertilizer, UAN.
Irish farmers have seen the price of UAN increase by 228% since last year, with urea now quoted at €860/t. “IFA has consistently pointed out the lack of competition in the European fertilizer market. This is exacerbated by the Commission’s decision to apply anti-dumping measures on nitrogen fertilizer imports, further restricting the market,” said the IFA President.
“The current high natural gas prices have impacted production and availability, but just when farmers are hurting most, we read about YARA delivering improved returns reflecting higher prices in the third quarter,” he said. “The margins earned by the European manufacturing industry in the last number of years are disproportionate to those earned outside Europe.”
Mr. Cullinan urged Commission officials to act immediately and initiate an investigation on the UAN anti-dumping duty. As COPA first Vice-President, he pointed out that French arable farmers consumed 50% of this fertilizer. “I welcome the offer from the Commission for a public hearing on this issue with COPA,” said Mr. Cullinan.
The DG Trade representatives thanked Mr. Cullinan for providing new market data. They reassured him of the urgency with which they are treating the COPA request, but that it was a very complex procedure that required due diligence.
Irish Farmers' Associationinfo@ifa.ie