The return of Eco-N for use on New Zealand pastures would be a boon for farmers and efforts to protect waterways, Federated Farmers environment spokesperson Chris Allen says.
Feds strongly supported any such move, Allen said.
"It deserves a 'grown-up' conversation around the issues involved because Eco-N is a valuable tool that enables farmers to temporarily store nitrogen in soil when it would otherwise be vulnerable to loss — a bonus both for agri-business productivity and to reduce nitrate leaching into waterways.
"It's also one of the answers on the pressing issue of reducing nitrous oxide emissions," he said.
Federated Farmers said in a statement Eco-N was a trademarked nitrification inhibitor product developed by Lincoln University in partnership with Ravensdown Fertiliser Co-op Ltd. It was launched in New Zealand in 2004.