Manufacturing and marketing fertilisers
The rules that manufacturers and importers of fertilisers need to follow when trading in the UK.
Domestic framework rules
Current domestic frameworks for Great Britain and Northern Ireland are in place allowing fertilisers to be sold in the UK.
Manufacturing and selling fertilisers in Great Britain
You can manufacture fertiliser under domestic fertiliser legislation in Great Britain.
You can sell your products in Great Britain as ‘UK fertiliser’ if:
- you’re established in the UK
- your product has been tested by a UK approved laboratory, where testing is required
You can place fertiliser products from Northern Ireland on the Great Britain market providing they are ‘qualifying Northern Ireland goods’.
‘Qualifying Northern Ireland goods’ are defined as:
- in ‘free circulation’ in Northern Ireland, on the basis that they are not under customs supervision (excepting any supervision arising from the good being taken out of Northern Ireland or the EU)
- any good which has undergone processing operations in Northern Ireland under the inward processing procedure; and which only incorporates inputs from Great Britain, or which were in free circulation in Northern Ireland.
Manufacturing and selling fertilisers in Northern Ireland
You can manufacture and market fertilisers under domestic fertiliser legislation in Northern Ireland.
You can manufacture and sell your products in Northern Ireland as ‘CE fertilisers’ but you must make sure you meet EU standards. Manufacturers must be established within the EU or in Northern Ireland.
Products that meet the requirements for ‘UK fertilisers’ can also be sold in Northern Ireland as ‘UK fertilisers’ provided:
- you’re established in the UK
- your product has been tested by a UK approved laboratory, where testing is required
Trading with the EU and EEA
You can manufacture your products as ‘CE fertilisers’ and export to the EU or EEA, but you must meet EU standards. The European Commission has published detailed guidance setting out the EU’s position on these standards. Manufacturers will need to be established within the EU or Northern Ireland.
If you’re based in Great Britain and are sending goods to the EU you’ll need to complete a UK customs export declaration. Read the Border Operating Model.
Great Britain cannot import or export fertiliser from the EU using the mutual recognition principle. You can import into Northern Ireland from the EU under this principle, but you cannot export to the EU.
The EU carries out additional checks on goods imported into and placed on the EU market from third countries. Great Britain is qualified as a third country and will be subject to these checks.
Return rejected fertiliser exports to Great Britain
If your consignment is rejected at an EU border control post (BCP), it can re-enter Great Britain through any point of entry.
For consignments of solid ammonium nitrate fertiliser with a nitrogen content of more than 28% of its weight, in a consignment weighing 500 kilograms or more, you must:
- notify the return port authority of the consignment type, arrival date and that it’s a returned good and the reason for return
- email fertilisers@defra.gov.uk at least 5 days before the shipment arrives in Great Britain.
You’ll need to provide Defra with:
- a valid detonation resistance test (DRT) certificate
- the sampling certificate
- Defra’s Shipment Identification Document
- the reason for the return outlined in the covering email
If a valid DRT certificate is not presented, Border Force will detain the goods and the Trading Standards Office (TSO) will be contacted.
Ammonium nitrate imports
You must have a detonation resistance test (DRT) certificate if you are importing ammonium nitrate fertilisers from any country and:
- the nitrogen content is more than 28% of its weight
- the consignment weighs 500kg or more
From 31 December 2022 until 31 December 2027, you can get a DRT certificate from any laboratory in the UK or EU that is accredited under standard ISO 17025.
Each DRT certificate should relate to a sample from each production run batch. A ‘batch’ means the quantity of material manufactured without alteration of composition or characteristics. The maximum batch run is 92 days.
You must also:
- make sure any batch, or part batch, from outside the EU arrives in Great Britain no more than 60 days after the date of the DRT
- email fertilisers@defra.gov.uk at least 5 days before the shipment arrives in Great Britain
- keep records of any batch, or part batch, and their DRT certificates for at least 2 years
Last updated 31 December 2022 + show all updates
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If you meet EU standards, you can manufacture and sell your products in Northern Ireland as ‘CE fertilisers’. You can also manufacture your products as ‘CE fertilisers’ and export to the EU or EEA. You can no longer place fertilisers on the UK market as ‘EC fertilisers’. Updated the section on importing ammonium nitrate fertilisers to show there is a 5-year extension for the use of EU laboratories for detonation resistance tests (DRTs). There is also a 5-year extension for the exemption of EU imports from the 60-day import window following a DRT.
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First published.