Wynnstay Group (AIM:WYN) is expanding its Glasson Fertilisers blending operations at Montrose, Scotland, which will create one of the largest fertiliser blending plants in Europe on completion.
As part of the expansion, the company has entered into a long-term lease of a larger production facility at Barrack Road, Montrose, and has placed the principal equipment contract for a new high-capacity fertiliser blending plant.
In parallel, Wynnstay intends to dispose of its existing Cobden Street site. The divestment proceeds will be used to fund the new investment.
The new facility is anticipated to double Glasson Fertilisers’ blending capacity, enabling it to better serve existing customer demand while also creating the platform to support future organic growth across the Scottish market.
Production at Cobden Street will continue, while the new blending plant is installed and commissioned. Both sites are expected to operate in parallel during the transition period. Barrack Road is expected to be fully commissioned and in production during H1 FY2027.
The latest investment is expected to generate a return on net assets in line with Wynnstay’s stated target of not less than 10%.
While investment in fertiliser capacity is accelerating downstream, Wynnstay’s latest move highlights a growing challenge further up the supply chain — securing the raw materials needed to support the fertiliser sector.
Phosphate is one of the three primary nutrients used in fertilisers, alongside nitrogen and potassium.
According to the World Trade Organization, global phosphate supply faces structural tightness and volatility due to supply chain bottlenecks, regional shifts in trade, and feedstock disruptions like sulphur shortages tied to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
This has increased the focus on developing new sources of supply and strengthening regional fertiliser security.
As a result, mining companies across the world are targeting phosphate and phosphate-bearing deposits as governments and industries look to diversify their supply chains.
Feeding the food market
In the UK, Anglo American’s (LSE:AAL) Woodsmith Project is a polyhalite fertiliser mine being developed in North East England.
Polyhalite fertiliser is a natural, multi-nutrient mineral product, containing four key macronutrients locked into a single crystal structure, sulphur, potassium, calcium, and magnesium.
Meanwhile, on the exploration front in the US, Nevada Organic Phosphate (CSE:NOP) is focusing on becoming a producer of raw organic, direct-ship, pit-run phosphate fertiliser for the growing US$25 billion ($35.4 billion) ‘organic food’ markets in North America.
In the US, around 20 million tonnes (Mt) of phosphate rock ore was processed, valued at US$1.9 billion, in 2025. Phosphate rock was produced in Florida, Idaho, North Carolina, and Utah.
Nevada Organic’s Murdock Mountain Project, located in Nevada, has historical geological mapping which has traced a phosphate-rich bed over an 8km strike length, with a potential average thickness of 3.35m @ up to 15% phosphorous pentoxide.
Murdock Mountain has an exploration target ranging from 10–46Mt of rock phosphate at 3–15% phosphorous pentoxide.
Recent drilling extended the confirmed strike length of the Upper Phosphate Zone at Murdock Mountain to more than 3km, which Nevada Organic says strengthens the project’s exploration potential.
CEO Robin Dow says the hole intersecting the Meade Peak Member with indications of the oolitic Upper Phosphate Zone is a milestone for the company.
“This hole extends our confirmed strike length to over 3km, marking meaningful progress in demonstrating continuity of the target strike,” Dow says.
Brazilian phosphate
South of Nevada lies Aguia Resources’ (ASX:AGR) Organic Phosphate Project in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The project contains a resource of 105Mt of phosphate, of which the initial phase will only consume 6Mt.
In June 2026, the company reported its first sales of Pampafós — its flagship natural phosphate fertiliser from the Três Estradas Phosphate Project — delivering $600,000 in revenue.
The Três Estradas Phosphate Project’s facility possesses an installed capacity to process more than 200,000 tonnes of phosphate per year, with space to increase to 300,000 tonnes. Construction of a new industrial plant adjacent to the TE mine, with a projected processing capacity of 300,000 tonnes per year, is scheduled to begin in 2027 if the Passo Feio and Mato Grande deposits reach the required reserves.
Operations at this new facility are anticipated to begin in 2028, at which point the existing leased plant will continue to process phosphate from Passo Feio and Mato Grande, resulting in a combined annual production of 600,000 tonnes from 2028 onwards.
In late July 2026, Aguia announced a $3 million placement to fund phosphate operations in Brazil, as well as gold development activities in Colombia.
The funds will support working capital at the Três Estradas Phosphate Project, as well as drilling programs for additional phosphate resources.
The push for new phosphate projects reflects a broader shift in the mining sector, where the conversation turns to the minerals required to underpin food security.
As fertiliser demand continues to grow, explorers, developers, and producers are positioning phosphate as a strategic resource with a critical role in future agricultural resilience.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: Nevada Organic Phosphate
