Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

The Fertiliser Quality Council is aiming to making life less confusing for farmers when it comes to deciding which fertiliser to buy.

It's setting up an expert working group to draw up a protocol for outlining fertiliser trial results, so they're all measured and expressed in the same way.

It follows a dispute last year over claims made by a fertiliser manufacturer, Summit-Quinphos, in advertising about one of its products.

An international expert asked to review the research results for the product found the advertising had overstated its effectiveness.

Fertiliser Quality Council chair Neil Barton says the major fertiliser companies, including Summit-Quinphos, have agreed on the need for an industry standard and the expert working group is its response.

The expert group will be led by Emeritus Professor Russ Tilman of Massey University.