History In 1840, Justus Von Liebig wrote; "The crops on the field diminish or increase in exact proportion to the diminution or increase of the mineral substances conveyed to it in manure." He was the first to discover that phosphate of lime in bone meal could be rendered more readily available to plants by treatment with sulphuric acid, and the discovery by Murray and Lawes that phosphate rock answered to the same reaction followed afterwards.
In the 1840s, scientists found that coprolites dissolved in sulphuric acid to produce a product named superphosphate. Sir John Bennett Lawes was the first to manufacture superphosphate at his factory in Deptford in 1842.  - In 1843 Edward Packard, one of the founding families of the Fisons Group, opened his superphosphate factory in Snape. The companies who later joined to form the Fisons Group, founded in 1929 were:
- The Claydon Company in Claydon established in 1844, Charles Norrington & Company in Plymouth in 1846, Joseph Fison in Ipswich in 1850, James Fison in Thetford in 1853, Doughty & Son in Lincoln in 1857 and Prentice Brothers in Stowmarket in 1857.
- In 1935, Fisons puchased the Liverpool based company George Hadfield & Company Limited. Hadfields was established by Thomas Hadfield in 1820.
- In 1982, the fertilizer division of Fisons Fertilizers Limited was purchased by Norsk Hydro to be part of its fertilizer division and to be called Hydro Agri (UK) Limited.
- In 1991, Hydro Agri (UK) Limited purchased Chafer. Chafer had been established in 1901.
- The UK Company has therefore had a continuous history of expertise in fertilizer manufacture, product development, crop requirements and giving advice on the economic and responsible use of fertilizers since 1843.
Milestones in the History of Norsk Hydro: - 1905 - World's first production of fertilizer at Notodden, Norway (based on hydro electric power).
- 1907 - Rjukan Plant, Norway.
- 1928 - Porsgrunn Plant, Norway.
- 1946 - Cooperation for sales in USA.
- 1949 - Glomfjord Plant, Norway.
- 1972 - Cooperation for sales in Thailand.
- 1979/86 - Joint venture in Qatar.
- Acquisitions in Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, UK (1982 purchase of Fisons), Germany, and France. Terminal in China, office in Zimbabwe.
- 1991 - Acquisitions of Rostock, Germany and Trinidad. Joint venture in Florida and Trinidad. New offices and bulk blending outside Europe. Increased activities in Eastern Europe.
- 1996 - Acquisitions of Nutrite in Canada and Italian fertilizer operations.
- 2000 - Two new blending plants aquired in Brazil.
- 2000 - A joint venture with AECI in South Africa to produce and sell fertilizer.
Yara UK Limited - In March 2004, the company became known as Yara UK Limited following the demerger of Norsk Hydro's fertilizer business, previously globally called Hydro Agri.
- 2005 - The company celebrates its Centennial.
|
 Locations
Commitment to farming
Facts and Figures
|
