Farmers are using drones to spread seaweed on their crops as they grapple with the rising cost of chemical fertilisers.
The drone technology being used “is on a different level”, according to farmer Andrew Ward, who used it to boost his winter wheat crop in Leadenham, Lincolnshire.
Synthetic fertilisers, which are used widely in farming, are often imported and have become more expensive since the war in the Middle East.
A National Farmers Union (NFU) spokesperson said there would always be a need for chemical fertilisers “to help farmers feed people at scale and pace”, but farmers were always open to exploring alternatives.
Frazer Bloor, a dairy farmer in North Shropshire, is also a qualified drone pilot.
He said he had been busier than usual with requests to apply seaweed using his drone.
With its 8ft (2.4m) wing-span, the aircraft is an imposing sight as it flies through the skies.
“This drone can carry 50kg (110lb),” Bloor said, which allowed it to hold enough liquidised seaweed to treat a large area of crops in one flight.
Seaweed processor Dave Edwards says he is seeing a surge in orders due to rising fertiliser costs [BBC]
Bloor used the drone to scan and map Ward’s winter wheat fields before treatment, to identify areas that needed more or less product.
Ward said the method reduced waste and helped growers who “have a very big problem at the minute in trying to make a profit”.
Winter wheat is typically grown for use in bread, breakfast cereals and biscuits.
According to the United Nations, about a third of the world’s fertilisers – such as urea, potash, ammonia and phosphates – usually pass through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been blocked since the beginning of the US and Israel’s war on Iran.
The NFU warned UK food prices were likely to increase as a result, while Svein Tore Holsether, chief executive of one of the world’s biggest fertiliser producers Yara, said the interuption to supplies of fertiliser could cost up to 10 billion meals a week globally and will hit poorest countries hardest.
The use of seaweed as a fertiliser is not new.
But Dave Edwards, one of several seaweed processors, said they had seen a surge in inquiries since the war began.
“We’ve increased by about 20-30% at the moment,” said Edwards.
The seaweed is harvested from the North Sea in its raw form, leading to some concerns about the impact on sealife.
But synthetic fertilisers also have an environmental impact, due to the carbon footprint of imports.
Edwards said natural fertilisers like seaweed could be crucial to national food security.
“If food gets short, we have got to have something to be able to grow it,” he said.
“This will help.”