BRIEF-Yara to halt production at Italian plant

OSLO, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Yara International (YAR.OL) said:

* It will temporarily stop production of urea and ammonia at its site in Ferrara, Italy, from Nov. 1. The plant has an annual production capacity of 600,000 tonnes of ammonia and 500,000 tonnes of urea.

* The decision to stop production temporarily is related to the current situation in international urea markets, where lower activity and price levels have impacted profitability.

* The Ferrara plant transforms natural gas into ammonia and urea, which are the main components in the production of nitrogen fertilizers and chemicals.

* The plant will be on standby for start-up when market conditions improve. Lay-offs are not anticipated, as employees will attend to plant safety and other tasks within the group.

* The company will continue to fulfill customer contracts from built-up stock and alternative product sourcing. (Reporting by Wojciech Moskwa and Joergen Frich)