Government/Industry Fertiliser Supply Working Group Communiqué:
Fertiliser Supply Working Group Meeting – 19 August 2026
The Government/Industry Fertiliser Supply Working Group met for the fourteenth time on 19 August 2026.
Members received updates on fertiliser supply conditions and noted that urea arrivals have surpassed estimated seasonal demand, while phosphate imports remain above recent historical averages. It was acknowledged that actual demand may differ from earlier forecasts due to later planting and rainfall conditions experienced since estimates were prepared.
Discussions focused on existing and potential options to strengthen resilience and preparedness of Australia's fertiliser supply chains. Industry representatives noted they will continue to work across the sector to identify opportunities to strengthen future fertiliser supply resilience, including through: maintaining and building diverse supplier relationships; improving data capture and information sharing with government to inform policy next steps; and leveraging relationships and market intelligence to better understand industry behaviour, sector confidence and decision-making during future disruptions.
Participants recognised the role of contracted supply and the role of fertiliser importers in securing urea supply during the Middle East regional conflict and associated global market disruption, in addition to the role of the Fuel and Fertiliser Security Facility to secure supply in the national interest that otherwise would not be available to Australian producers.
Participants also recognised the value of the Working Group in supporting information sharing, situational awareness and coordination between government and industry throughout the recent period of uncertainty.
The Working Group agreed that, given the current supply outlook, future meetings would move to an as-needed basis.
Attendees
Australian Government members:
- Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry - Chair
- Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
- Department of Industry, Science and Resources
- Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
- Export Finance Australia
- Australian Competition and Consumer Commission
Industry members:
- Fertilizer Australia
- National Farmers’ Federation