New tariffs and the CBAM levy have reshaped the European fertiliser market

Russia’s dominance of the fertiliser market in Poland and across Europe is beginning to wane rapidly. From 1 July 2025, the European Union introduced additional tariffs on nitrogen and compound fertilisers from Russia and Belarus, and the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which came into full effect in 2026, has further reduced the competitiveness of these products. Initial results show a significant decline in imports and a rapid reorientation of supply routes, according to the Polish portal Farmer.pl.

As recently as 2024, Russia was one of the most important suppliers of fertilisers to the European Union. European politicians noted that during the first eight months of 2024, fertiliser imports from Russia and Belarus to the EU rose by as much as 52 per cent, despite geopolitical tensions and the war in Ukraine. It was precisely because of this dependence that the European Commission initiated trade restrictions and additional climate policy measures.

The new duties provide not only for a 6.5 per cent tariff, but also an additional levy on every tonne of fertiliser imported. From mid-2025, an additional charge of €40 per tonne has been applied to nitrogen fertilisers from Russia and Belarus, which will increase further in subsequent years. At the same time, the CBAM mechanism has been introduced, obliging importers to pay for the amount of CO₂ emitted during production, thereby levelling the playing field with European producers.

The market reacted to the changes even before the stricter rules came into force. In the final quarter of 2025, EU imports of nitrogen fertilisers surged by 75 per cent to reach 4.75 million tonnes. In December 2025 alone, 2.52 million tonnes of nitrogen fertilisers were imported into the EU – a record amount, as traders and importers sought to build up stocks ahead of the CBAM coming into force.

However, the first quarter of 2026 already showed a completely different trend. Imports of nitrogen fertilisers into the European Union fell from 3.38 million tonnes to 1.05 million tonnes, a drop of 69 per cent. In Poland, the change was even more pronounced – imports from third countries plummeted from 510,000 tonnes to just 56,300 tonnes. This represents a drop of as much as 89 per cent year-on-year.

Meanwhile, alternative suppliers are rapidly gaining ground in the market. Egypt, Algeria and China have become the largest exporters of nitrogen fertilisers to the EU. Supplies from Algeria, Germany, the Netherlands and Lithuania are becoming increasingly important in the Polish market, whilst Morocco, Norway and Serbia stand out in the compound fertiliser segment. According to experts, this increases supply security and reduces dependence on a single geopolitical region.

European fertiliser producers claim that tariffs and the CBAM help restore fair competition, as Russian producers have long benefited from cheaper energy inputs and lower environmental standards. On the other hand, farmers’ organisations warn that, in the long term, additional taxes could drive up fertiliser prices, particularly if natural gas prices remain high on the global market or alternative supply channels are disrupted.

Initial data for 2026 shows that the European Union’s strategy to reduce dependence on Russian fertilisers is working. However, a new phase is also beginning, in which the most important factors will be not only price, but also the product’s carbon footprint, the reliability of supply chains and the ability to adapt to increasingly stringent climate policy requirements.