York Potash secures organic seal of approval

POTASH which will be supplied to farmers in the UK by a proposed new mine in North Yorkshire has been given the seal of approval by a leading UK organic control body.

Organic Farmers & Growers (OF&G), a Defra accredited body which assesses the suitability of organic materials, has approved York Potash’s polyhalite for organic use on crops.

The certification confirms the suitability of polyhalite which will be extracted at the company’s proposed new state-of-the-art mine south of Whitby.

York Potash said the independent approval is an important milestone for the company, which can market the natural mineral as an organic multi-nutrient fertiliser to farmers in the UK and across the world.

J.T. Starzecki, sales and marketing director at parent company Sirius Minerals, said: “There is a UK and global need for more sustainable agriculture by adopting less polluting farming methods and polyhalite is an ideal organic fertiliser because it provides four essential macro-nutrients that are crucial for plant growth in one mineral.

“Polyhalite does not require any further chemical processing and this certification reinforces its potential for helping to produce the food the world needs more sustainably.”