Fertiliser imports hit 1 million tonne mark since Iran war began

More than a million tonnes of urea has been imported into Australia since the Middle East war began in February. (ABC News: John Gunn)

One million tonnes of fertiliser has been imported in to Australia since the conflict in Iran began.

The federal government streamlined its biosecurity border processes in April to help get more fertiliser into the country during the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Further shipments of urea are expected to arrive in coming weeks.

In April, the federal government streamlined biosecurity processes to ensure farmers in particular had enough supplies for the nation's all-important winter crop.

A third of the world's fertiliser moves through the Strait of Hormuz in a normal year. The strait's closure during the Iran conflict has sent nations scrambling to secure supply.

Australia is wholly reliant on urea imports to support the growth of crops.

According to analysis firm Episode 3, Australia imported about 3.6 million tonnes in 2025.

There were fears food prices would sky-rocket if ongoing shortages continued this year.

Fertiliser-grade nitrogen compound urea has contributed to record crop harvests in Australia in recent years. (ABC Wimmera: Andrew Kelso)

Urea is the world's most commonly used nitrogen fertiliser, and is essential for getting high yields out of many crops, including cereals like wheat, barley, oats and vegetables.

Australia has abundant amounts of the raw ingredients to produce nitrogen-based fertiliser, but domestic manufacturing ground to a halt in recent decades.

In order for fertiliser and other essential imports to enter Australia during the conflict, the government sped up the biosecurity process, in particular the assessments that could be done offshore.

"This is about trying to provide Australian farmers with some certainty in what is an uncertain time with this war in the Middle East impacting globally and including here at home in Australia," said the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Julie Collins.

"We've streamlined the process so that, for instance, one of the things we can do is do a sample on the boat before it lands in Australia and make sure that it's tested by the time it lands."

Julie Collins said biosecurity changes provide Australian farmers with certainty in what is an uncertain time. (ABC News: Brendan Esposito)

The government said the possibility of contaminated fertiliser could significantly impact local industries, but Ms Collins said the changes did not remove rigorous inspections.

"I don't want to send a message out there that we've done anything tha