As fuel, fertiliser and food security concerns grow on the world stage, please see the commentary below from Michael Jarmuz: chairman of the Maize Growers Association;  feedstock development lead at Future Biogas; and an East Yorkshire resident – in a heartland of the UK's biomethane sector.

Context

The conflict in the Middle East has caused global gas prices to surge, with natural gas benchmarks roughly doubling since the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz in late February 2026. The UK’s farming sector is feeling the impact directly: nitrogen-based fertiliser manufacture depends on natural gas as a feedstock, and the National Farmers’ Union has warned that food prices are likely to rise as a result of higher energy and fertiliser costs.

There has been no domestic production of synthetic fertiliser in the UK since 2022, ironically due to rising gas prices. This leaves farmers wholly reliant on long distance importation of manufactured or mined alternatives – which are carbon intensive on multiple levels. The Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association (ADBA) has written to Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds calling for revised guidance on the agricultural use of digestate – the nutrient-rich biofertiliser produced as a by-product of anaerobic digestion – which it says could replace 25–30% of the UK’s synthetic nitrogen fertiliser use, while offsetting around £170 million of economic risk in the first year alone.

At the same time, gas distribution network body Future Energy Networks has written to Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, urging support for higher domestic biomethane production. The government’s consultation on a future biomethane policy framework is expected imminently.

Against this backdrop, biomethane from anaerobic digestion offers UK farming a combination of benefits: a home-grown renewable energy source, a sustainable alternative to carbon-intensive imported fertiliser, diversified farm incomes, and secure rural jobs – while also displacing fossil gas and strengthening domestic energy security.

Industry reaction

Please see the quote below from Michael Jarmuz: chairman of the Maize Growers Association; feedstock development lead at Future Biogas; and an East Yorkshire resident – in a heartland of the UK's biomethane sector.

“Farmers across the country are feeling the squeeze. Conflict in the Middle East is driving up the cost and restricting future supply of synthetic fertilisers at the worst possible time – right in the middle of the spring spreading season. Red diesel costs are rising too. This is yet another blow for an industry already under intense pressure from low commodity prices, extreme weather and the phasing out of direct payments.

“Anaerobic digestion already makes a real, practical difference to the communities around our plants, and as input prices keep rising, the digestate we return to our farmers provides a proven alternative to synthetic inputs. It goes straight back onto local land, providing nutrients, increasing crop yield, and improving soil health over time.

“Beyond fertiliser, our plants support the local rural economy directly. We work in long-term partnership with local farmers who grow energy crops as part of their rotations. That provides a stable, contracted income stream alongside their conventional farming – which matters enormously when crop prices and input costs are both unpredictable. Each plant creates skilled local jobs in construction, operations and logistics, while the biomethane we produce is a home-grown renewable fuel that reduces the UK’s reliance on imported gas.

“My farming experience means I’ve seen first-hand how energy price shocks ripple through the entire food supply chain – from the farm gate to the supermarket shelf. Anaerobic digestion isn’t a silver bullet, but it directly addresses several of the pressures facing rural communities right now: volatile fertiliser costs and availability, uncertain farm incomes, and exposure to global fossil fuel markets. The more we invest in home-grown biomethane production, the more resilient British farming becomes, and the more security there is for our rural communities.”

Broader commentary and editorial

Michael, and Future Biogas’s other senior scientists and engineers, are also available for commentary, interviews, podcasts or by-lined articles on themes such as:

• What the current energy crisis means for fertiliser costs – and how digestate from anaerobic digestion reduces UK farming’s dependence on imported synthetic fertiliser
• Farm income diversification through long-term energy crop contracts, and how stable revenue from biomethane production helps insulate farmers from commodity price volatility
• The rural economic benefits of anaerobic digestion: local jobs, investment and supply chain activity in rural communities
• How biomethane strengthens UK food security by supporting more resilient farming systems and reducing exposure to global energy market shocks
• Biomethane’s role as a home-grown, drop-in replacement for fossil gas – and why the government needs to recognise it as a net zero fuel under the UK Emissions Trading Scheme