How much fertiliser do we use?
Fertilisers provide crops with three main nutrients: nitrates, phosphates and potash. Fertiliser use has been decreasing steadily since the 1980s (Figure 1). At the same time, crop production has increased, suggesting that UK farmers are using fertilisers more efficiently. Farmers must be careful when using fertilisers to avoid polluting the environment. It is best to apply fertilisers at the time of year when crops need the extra nutrients the most so that there is less chance of the nutrients being washed away before they are absorbed by the crop.
