Farmers must be supported as they face "rising input costs" such as fertiliser price spikes, because of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, according to the EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Food.

Latest analysis from international organisations has highlighted that major risks are likely to materialise in the medium to long term because of the "direct and tangible repercussions" on agricultural production costs.

The EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, Christophe Hansen, together with other G7 Agriculture Ministers, met yesterday (June 8) to discuss what measures can be taken to offset the impact of higher prices on farmers.

Hansen believes that "international co-operation" is key in order to keep food supply chains functioning.

Fertiliser supplies

According to the French Minister of Agriculture, Annie Genevard, who hosted the meeting of G7 agriculture ministers, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, "means 30% of global urea exports are blocked".

The G7 agriculture ministers have stressed the need for transparent and predictable markets to keep fertiliser supply chains running smoothly, strengthen agricultural resilience and support global food security.

But even before the current conflict in the Middle East the average price of fertilisers and soil improvers in the EU had risen by 8.0% in the fourth quarter of 2025 - compared with the same quarter of 2024. 

Fertiliser prices had surged in the EU in 2021 and 2022 before declining in 2023 and 2024.

However in 2025, prices increased again for four consecutive quarters.

The sharpest increases had been recorded in Romania, where prices jumped by 17% in the year since Q4 2024.

Ireland recorded the second highest price increase in the EU in Q4 2025, with the cost of fertiliser up 15.3% compared to a year previously.

Last month the European Commission unveiled a new Fertiliser Action Plan which it said will "support farmers facing rising fertiliser costs and scarcity".

According to Commissioner Hansen the commission intends that in the short-term, it will support European farmers "so they can buy the fertilisers they need for the next harvesting season".