Purines: from ejection to liquid gold

The escalation in the price of fertilizers following the conflict in Iran has turned the slurries and manures from Spanish farms into a top agronomic asset. In this context, COAG is calling for policies that allow the livestock sector to fully capitalize on its new role as a provider of nutrients for agriculture. The war in Iran has triggered in just a few weeks the largest increase in the price of fertilizers since the 2022 crisis: urea has gone from 430 to 750 dollars per ton, a 75% increase, and agricultural inputs are at historic highs. But in the midst of this storm, the Spanish livestock sector emerges as a decisive player: its farms produce each year a significant amount of organic nutrients, slurries and manures, which can partially replace the chemical fertilizers that Europe can no longer afford to buy. The Persian Gulf produces almost half of the world's urea and concentrates over a third of all global fertilizer trade. When the conflict in Iran disrupted the logistical ...