The UK Department for Business and Trade suspended import tariffs on Urea Ammonium Nitrate (UAN) fertilizer on July 13. The zero-duty rate takes effect August 5 and runs through December 31, 2028. The suspension is part of the outcome of DBT's 2025/2026 business duty suspension application window.
Key Facts
- UAN fertilizer's tariff suspension takes effect August 5, 2026, lasting through December 31, 2028.
- Beyond UAN, 21 more agricultural products on the list cover $145 million in U.S. trade.
- The 21 non-UAN products carry over $17 million in potential tariff savings.
The application window that produced this outcome, per UK government guidance, opened November 26, 2025, and closed February 4, 2026. It drew 111 applications covering 176 products, and the UAN suspension was one of the results DBT selected from that pool.
22 Products, $145 Million in Trade: What the July 13 Outcome Covers
Beyond UAN, DBT approved duty suspensions on 21 additional agricultural products, including carrots, dried apples, and soybean oil, according to USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service. Those products cover $145 million in U.S. trade with the UK. The 21 non-UAN products account for more than $17 million in potential tariff savings, a figure DBT frames as benefiting both UK consumers and U.S. exporters.
The report does not break out a separate savings figure for UAN alone, describing its impact only as savings "in the millions" for UK consumers.
All 22 products move to a zero percent tariff rate starting August 5, 2026, and stay there through December 31, 2028. The UK government could revisit the suspensions before that date.
The July 13 outcome and the pending Cost of Living tranche run on separate tracks with separate numbers. Beyond UAN fertilizer, the confirmed window's 21 other agricultural products cover $145 million in U.S. trade and $17 million in tariff savings; UAN's own trade impact isn't separately quantified in the report. The pending tranche, still awaiting approval, would cover a larger $168 million in trade with a smaller $14 million in estimated savings.
How the UAN Suspension Fits the UK's Business Duty Suspension Process
The UK's business duty suspension window is a recurring mechanism that businesses can apply to for tariff suspensions on specific imported goods. It has run periodically since the UK's exit from the European Union.
Suspensions granted through this process apply on a Most Favoured Nation basis. This means any country, not just the United States, can import the affected goods into the UK at the suspended rate.
The July 13 announcement extends a pattern of UK tariff liberalization on agricultural inputs. U.S. exporters have used earlier suspensions from prior windows on products such as tree nuts, dried fruit, and corn gluten, per prior USDA reporting.
Separate From the Pending "Cost of Living" Tariff Package
DBT's July 13 outcome runs on a different track from a separate "Cost of Living" tariff suspension package. The UK government has been developing that package since March 24, 2026, when Chancellor Rachel Reeves first announced it would consider targeted suspensions to lower food prices for consumers.
The package already produced a first tranche on April 30, 2026, covering select fruits, fruit juices, pasta, couscous, and tuna. The suspensions took effect June 21, 2026, and run through December 31, 2028.
A second tranche covers roughly 125 "everyday essentials," including biscuits, chocolate, and dried fruits and nuts. Public consultation on that tranche, along with a separate consultation on fertilizer and kerosene suspensions, closed June 24, 2026.
FAS estimates that, if approved, the second tranche could affect approximately $168 million in U.S. exports to the UK, with an estimated $14 million in associated tariff savings. The UK government has said the outcome of that parallel package is expected imminently, but it had not been announced as of this report.