‘No meat, no beer’: Aussie farmer reveals urea crisis at boiling point in viral TikTok video

An Aussie farmer has revealed the full extent of a looming crisis facing consumers, revealing everyday staples might soon disappear from supermarkets.

A viral video has perfectly summed up a “terrifying” crisis facing the nation within weeks.

In recent days, the urea shortage plaguing Australia and the world has made headline after headline as it threatens to pull tens of thousands of trucks and private vehicles off the road and cause countless everyday items to disappear from supermarket shelves.

Not only is urea used in fertiliser, it is also a key ingredient in diesel ­exhaust fluid (DEF) – also known as AdBlue – which 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.

The shortage is expected to peak by February, and could devastate our agriculture and transport industries, along with countless other sectors.

But while the problem is a complex one, an Aussie farmer has explained exactly why we should all be concerned.

Under the popular TikTok account FNQBeersBullsBoars, Queensland cattle farmer Matt Ferguson-Tait began by explaining that urea was essential in his industry, as it was used as a protein for cattle.

Stream more business news live & on demand with Flash, Australia’s biggest news streaming service. New to Flash? Try 14 days free now >

No urea means no beer …

But he said urea was also used in the production of almost every grocery item.

“Go have a look in your cupboard, go have a look in your fridge, and just about every single item there, at some point, urea has been used to produce that product, whether it be a steak, or a salad, or a can of baked beans,” he said.

“I can guarantee that at some point, urea has been used to produce that.”

But he also shared a fact that was “even more terrifying”.

“I’m going to get your attention real quick with this – urea is also used to grow the barley to make your beer,” he said.

“So without urea, we have no beer – that there is scary … but here’s another fact. Urea is one of the main ingredients to make AdBlue … a large number of the trucks and diesel engines on the road nowadays all use AdBlue as pollution control, and as of February, Australia runs out of AdBlue.

… and no barbecues.

“If we run out of AdBlue, not only will we not be able to grow cattle, we will not be able to grow food, we will not be able to grow grain or anything like that, but even if we could, we can’t move it, because we can’t turn a wheel in a truck, because we have no AdBlue.”

He described the unfolding situation as “terrifying” and accused the government of failing to act.

“As of February we might not have a truck on the road in Australia, we might not have a train on the track in Australia – quite literally, the whole country comes to a standstill as of February,” he said.

“So how’s that for a news headline? It’s more terrifying than any Covid headline, I can tell you.”

Aussie farmer Matt Ferguson-Tait says the AdBlue shortage is “more terrifying” than the Covid crisis. Picture: TikTok/FNQBeersBullsBoars

Last week, the Minister for Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction Angus Taylor urged businesses and consumers not to stockpile the vital product.

“We are quickly and actively working to ensure supply chains of both refined urea and AdBlue are secure so that industry can have certainty on their operations,” Mr Taylor said.

“Global supply pressures, stemming from increased domestic use in China, have led to international issues in securing refined urea, which is key to producing AdBlue. This is exacerbated by the global shortage of natural gas, the essential ingredient used to make urea.

“I can assure Australians that the government is working to ensure we do not face any shortages. We are pursuing a range of measures to address global pressures in the urea market.

“We will keep our trucks running and Australian motorists on the road.”

News.com.au previously spoke with a string of industry experts including the Victorian Farmers Federation, the Australian Steel Association, the National Road Transport Association and the Australian Trucking Association as well as farmers and agricultural market analysts, who all agreed Australia was facing a serious shortage with far-reaching consequences.