Strait of Hormuz blockage raises questions over farming’s reliance on chemical fertilisers - Yorkshire Post Letters

The conflict in the Middle East is sending shockwaves through our farms. Since strikes on Iran began in late February, the Strait of Hormuz - through which a third of the world's fertiliser trade passes - has been effectively closed. Fertiliser prices have nearly doubled and food prices will follow.

It's a crisis, but also a moment of clarity.

British farming has long been caught in a treadmill: buy expensive chemical fertilisers, grow grain, feed it to cattle, repeat. Regenerative farming breaks that cycle. By using cover crops, composting and carefully managed grazing to rebuild soil health, farmers can dramatically reduce their dependence on volatile markets.

Grazing animals can have an important role in regenerative systems, maintaining grasslands and cycling nutrients back into the soil. But we consume far more beef than is healthy for us and can sustainably be produced.

Around a fifth of our beef is imported, much from intensive systems abroad. If we ate less beef, and chose British pasture-reared meat when we do, we'd support local farmers while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. And remember, chicken manure makes a perfectly good fertiliser.

This isn't about telling people what to eat. It's about recognising that what's good for our soil, our climate, and our wildlife is also good for farm finances. A farming system that's less reliant on synthetic inputs is a more resilient one.

The Iran conflict has reminded us how fragile global supply chains are. The case for a nature-friendly, sustainable food system has never been stronger.