EU fertiliser manufacturers are seeking new anti-dumping duties on imported nitrogen, claiming it is unfairly undermining their profitability.

The product targeted is urea ammonium nitrate (UAN), originating in Russia, Trinidad and Tobago, and the US.

If new duties were imposed, it would result in upward price pressure on other types of nitrogen fertiliser for EU and Irish farmers.

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The IFA and French grain growers’ organisation AGPB, are opposed to the move.

They have written to the European Commission saying the price of UAN fertiliser has increased by over 50% since mid-2018, and margins for grain growers and other farmers have declined over the past five years.

Any new duty would be damaging to farmers, IFA inputs chair John Coughlan wrote in his letter to the Commission.

The move by manufacturers follows a 30% cut in EU anti-dumping duties on Russian ammonium nitrate.

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