Anglo American has received organic certification from the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) for its forthcoming multi-nutrient product POLY4.

Anglo American are currently building its Woodsmith polyhalite mine in the north of England, with the first commercial product expected to be delivered to market in 2027.

The Woodsmith mine is tapping into the world’s largest known deposit of polyhalite, a naturally occurring mineral containing potassium, calcium, magnesium and sulphur, which will be marketed as the product POLY 4.

Tom McCulley, CEO of Anglo American’s Crop Nutrients business, said: “The organic certification in California is particularly important given the state is the largest producer and consumer of organic products in the USA and grows over a third of the country’s vegetables and nearly three-quarters of the country’s fruits and nuts. Our POLY4 product is particularly well suited to such high value crops, enhancing both yield and quality, so representing significant additional value to farmers.”

POLY4 has been recognised by eight organic certification bodies around the world, says Anglo American. This includes the international scheme Ecocert, as well as in the UK, Germany, Netherlands and other parts of Europe, and Canada.

The company has completed almost 1,900 commercial field trials of POLY4 application in 43 countries across 90 crops.

Anglo American acquired the Woodsmith mine project from Sirius Minerals in January 2020 for GBP 405 million. The acquisition marked a return to fertilizers for Anglo American, which sold its phosphates assets in Brazil in 2016.

The first-stage capacity of the mine will be 13 million t/y (1.8 million t/y K2O) with production in the first three years expected to be around 5 million t/y.

The pit shaft has been sunk 1,600 metres, and the mineral will be transported in a 37km-long tunnel under the North York Moors to the Mineral Handling Facility at the port of Teesside where it will be processed and then shipped.