The importance of full traceability and security of fertilisers throughout the entire supply chain has been made plain by the judgement in last week’s Old Bailey terrorist trial.
Fertilisers are renowned for their properties as makeshift explosives, as demonstrated in the trial of five men jailed for life for a UK bomb plot.
The five were to blow up a shopping centre, nightclub and the gas network using a giant fertiliser bomb. The group had bought 600kg of ammonium nitrate from an agricultural merchants.
The Fertiliser Industry Assurance Scheme (FIAS), which was launched in January 2006 at the request of Government is a robust mechanism to ensure traceability and security from factory to farm, according to the organisation.
"Businesses involved in the manufacture, importation, storage, merchanting or transport of fertiliser, that are yet to register with FIAS, should do so now. Manufactured fertiliser is a vital input used by UK farmers and growers for many years. By joining FIAS, businesses can support the industry’s effort to stop fertiliser falling into the hands of potential terrorists," said Eileen Pullinger, head of fertiliser sector for the Agricultural Industries Confederation.
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