EU increased duties on imports of agricultural products and fertilizers from Russia and Belarus

The EU Council decision to increase tariffs on all imports of agricultural products and fertilizers from Russia and Belarus will come into force on 1 July 2025. The new measures cover a wide range of goods, including livestock products, dairy products, live plants, coffee, meat, as well as animal fats and vegetable oils, including palm oil. The additional tariff of 50% applies to more than 145 product codes, which significantly expands the restrictions compared to 2023, when tariffs applied to only 15% of Russian agricultural exports.

For fertilizers, in particular nitrogen fertilizers, the tariff increase will be gradual over the next three years. As of 1 July, an additional tariff of 40-45 euros per tonne will be introduced on most nitrogen fertilizers, such as urea and ammonium nitrate. In addition, if the established import limits are exceeded (2.7 million tons in MY 2025/26, 1.8 million tons in MY 2026/27 and 0.9 million tons in MY 2027/28), maximum protective duties may be applied. In 2024, the EU imported 6.2 million tons of Russian fertilizers, which is a quarter of all fertilizer imports.

The European Commission stressed that the new measures are aimed at protecting the EU from dependence on Russian and Belarusian supplies, but will not affect the transit of agricultural products and fertilizers from these countries to third countries.

Tags: EU, agricultural products, Belarus, fertilizers, duties, restrictions, Russia