UK needs to use phosphorus sustainably

Phosphorus use in the UK needs to be better managed and used in a much more sustainable way to reduce river pollution and increase resilience over rising fertiliser prices, say researchers. Despite phosphorus being a key nutrient in the agricultural sector for which there is no alternative, the food and feedstock industries rely on imports from a small number of countries including China, Russia and Morocco. As a result of market instability, farmers have seen fertiliser prices quadruple over the past two years and although prices have come down, they are still high. Also, the food industry has experienced disruption to supplies. In addition, phosphorus use in the UK is highly inefficient. It is used excessively and run off from farms and discharges from wastewater treatment works are leading to the pollution of "the majority of the UK's rivers and lakes", which is causing a reduction in biodiversity and habitat loss. A new report by academics from the University of Leeds, Lancaster University, University of Technology Sydney, the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology - with input from stakeholders across the UK food sector including farmers and regulators - argues that these problems would be avoided if the UK becomes less dependent on phosphorus supply.