Post by Stellar on Dec 14, 2021 15:19:06 GMT 10
The world is currently facing a major shortage of urea, a key ingredient found in diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) – also known as AdBlue – and a large component in fertiliser. Known as AdBlue, the crisis will affect cars, trucks and fertilizer supplies ...
Urea shortage puts supply chain under ‘extreme pressure’ with supplies at risk and prices to soar.
Australia is just weeks away from a major crisis which could see tens of thousands of vehicles pulled off the road and supplies of key items dwindle.
News.com
Alexis Carey
Australia is on the brink of a major crisis that could see tens of thousands of vehicles pulled off the road, grocery supplies dwindle and prices skyrocket, with every citizen set to be impacted.
On Friday, news.com.au reported on the urea shortage facing the nation, with experts warning the fiasco would devastate the transport industry within weeks.
But the full extent of the nightmare is becoming clearer, with the shortage set to also affect agriculture, power generation, the trades, healthcare and everyday consumers.
The crisis
The world is currently facing a major shortage of urea, a key ingredient found in diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) – also known as AdBlue – and a large component in fertiliser.
A major factor in the supply disruption is the fact China – which previously supplied 80 per cent of Australia’s urea supplies – has recently banned the export of the product, in order to lower fertiliser prices domestically.
That has left nations such as South Korea in the lurch, and now Australia is facing the same threat, with the shortage set to come to a head by February at the latest – although the impacts could be felt sooner than that.
The urea shortage is such a significant problem because AdBlue is injected into the exhaust systems of modern diesel vehicles in order to reduce emissions, which is a mandatory requirement for trucks, private vehicles and tractors.
While it is possible to adapt the vehicle, doing so is highly illegal, with rule breakers facing major fines.
As a result, insiders fear that without urgent action, tens of thousands of vehicles could be pulled off Australian roads within weeks – a move that would cause supply chain havoc during the busy holiday period.
‘Extreme pressure’
National Road Transport Association (NatRoad) CEO Warren Clark told news.com.au every single Australian would feel the pinch if the crisis was not averted.
“To be really clear, the lack of AdBlue, without breaking the law, is going to have a large impact on everyday Australians, everyday consumers and everyday business owners,” he said.
“We’ve got a freight supply chain under extreme pressure coming out of Covid, and about 50 per cent [of Australia’s truck fleet] runs on AdBlue, so it’s a massive issue, it’s half the fleet, so what happens then?
“Without breaking the law, we will potentially run out of the chemical by about February next year, but we are thinking it could be earlier.
“We saw supermarket shelves empty during the pandemic, and this could be way worse.”
In addition to shortages of everyday staples, Mr Clark said the delivery of crucial pharmaceuticals could also be affected, which would cause “major disruption” to countless lives.
Although China is manipulating this crisis to cause mass disruption, it is also undeniably a result of an unsustainable world population and massive consumerism and the need for farmers to grow unsustainable quantities of food for that unsustainable population.
Urea shortage puts supply chain under ‘extreme pressure’ with supplies at risk and prices to soar.
Australia is just weeks away from a major crisis which could see tens of thousands of vehicles pulled off the road and supplies of key items dwindle.
News.com
Alexis Carey
Australia is on the brink of a major crisis that could see tens of thousands of vehicles pulled off the road, grocery supplies dwindle and prices skyrocket, with every citizen set to be impacted.
On Friday, news.com.au reported on the urea shortage facing the nation, with experts warning the fiasco would devastate the transport industry within weeks.
But the full extent of the nightmare is becoming clearer, with the shortage set to also affect agriculture, power generation, the trades, healthcare and everyday consumers.
The crisis
The world is currently facing a major shortage of urea, a key ingredient found in diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) – also known as AdBlue – and a large component in fertiliser.
A major factor in the supply disruption is the fact China – which previously supplied 80 per cent of Australia’s urea supplies – has recently banned the export of the product, in order to lower fertiliser prices domestically.
That has left nations such as South Korea in the lurch, and now Australia is facing the same threat, with the shortage set to come to a head by February at the latest – although the impacts could be felt sooner than that.
The urea shortage is such a significant problem because AdBlue is injected into the exhaust systems of modern diesel vehicles in order to reduce emissions, which is a mandatory requirement for trucks, private vehicles and tractors.
While it is possible to adapt the vehicle, doing so is highly illegal, with rule breakers facing major fines.
As a result, insiders fear that without urgent action, tens of thousands of vehicles could be pulled off Australian roads within weeks – a move that would cause supply chain havoc during the busy holiday period.
‘Extreme pressure’
National Road Transport Association (NatRoad) CEO Warren Clark told news.com.au every single Australian would feel the pinch if the crisis was not averted.
“To be really clear, the lack of AdBlue, without breaking the law, is going to have a large impact on everyday Australians, everyday consumers and everyday business owners,” he said.
“We’ve got a freight supply chain under extreme pressure coming out of Covid, and about 50 per cent [of Australia’s truck fleet] runs on AdBlue, so it’s a massive issue, it’s half the fleet, so what happens then?
“Without breaking the law, we will potentially run out of the chemical by about February next year, but we are thinking it could be earlier.
“We saw supermarket shelves empty during the pandemic, and this could be way worse.”
In addition to shortages of everyday staples, Mr Clark said the delivery of crucial pharmaceuticals could also be affected, which would cause “major disruption” to countless lives.
Although China is manipulating this crisis to cause mass disruption, it is also undeniably a result of an unsustainable world population and massive consumerism and the need for farmers to grow unsustainable quantities of food for that unsustainable population.
