Blended fertiliser quality

How was the research undertaken? 

We bought several tonnes of 23 different blended fertilisers. Bags were selected at random. Each product was sampled, weighed and its packaging audited by an independent expert. Yara’s blended fertiliser was included in the tests and bags were similarly selected at random. Everything was tested and analysed by an independent auditor to secure accurate results.

What was tested? 

• Nutrient analysis – all bags of fertiliser carry a declaration of its contents. We were testing to see if what was stated on the bag, was actually in the bag.  
• Weight – you buy a quantity of fertiliser and trust that that is what you receive, so we wanted to check the weight of the bags.  
• Packaging – the durability of the bags was tested to see how rugged they were.  
• Traceability – can your fertiliser be traced back to the raw material source? 

What were the results? 

• 64% of bags didn’t contain the nutrients stated on the bag 
• 36% bags tested were underweight 
• 46% bags had inappropriate packaging 
• 59% bags couldn’t be traced to source 

What does this mean for you? 

We all want a good deal and you no doubt shop around to make your money go further. But the best deal is not always the cheapest. Unfortunately, our results show that you may be buying a blended fertiliser that under-delivers in the following ways: 

• You rely on the nutrient declaration stated on the bag. What if that’s incorrect and you’re applying the wrong nutrients to your crops? You could be sacrificing crop quality and yield. 
• You may be overpaying for your fertiliser because you’re being short-changed on the quantity of fertiliser actually in the bag. 
• If the packaging isn’t thick enough, you may end up losing fertiliser through bags ripping too easily or water getting in. High quality packaging protects your investment. 
• Traceable fertiliser keeps us all safe, and increases the quality of fertiliser. If you know what’s going in to making it, you know what you’re putting on your field. 

A cheap fertiliser, can end up being quite expensive. With Yara, quality is guaranteed

• We produce our own fertiliser so everything is traceable to source and we know exactly what we’re putting into our bags.
• We’ve heavily invested in technology to monitor how much we’re putting into our bags, removing dust and debris and blending the right quantity of nutrients. 
• Our bags are highly durable to protect your fertiliser so you suffer no wastage.