The Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) has called on Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue to issue fertiliser vouchers to the value of €2,000 to offset spiralling costs.
ICSA Rural Development chair, Tim Farrell said: “We have made this request in response to the unprecedented increase in fertiliser prices over recent months.
“It has become a cost that farmers cannot be expected to bear alone.
“ICSA is recommending that a voucher be made available to farmers who can show their farming enterprises required the purchase of fertiliser in 2021,” he added.
Voucher
The farm organisation said that vouchers should be payable at a rate of 50% of the total fertiliser bill for 2021, to a maximum of €2,000.
Farrell added that a voucher system is now the only way to assist farmers with the purchase of this input.
“ICSA does want to see the suspension of anti-dumping import duties, however, we cannot wait around for the EU to make a decision on this,” Farrell continued.
“Farmers do not have time to wait, they need support now and any aid that is given to farmers must have an immediate impact.”
Fertiliser prices
Last week, managing director at Grassland Agro, Liam Woulfe told Agriland that disruption to gas supply and a further increase in the price of fertiliser are of “big concern” amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Woulfe said he could not forecast prices, however considering the increase in the price of gas “it won’t be downwards anyway, it will be upwards”.
The worry at the moment is whether the invasion of Ukraine will lead to further supply disruption which is key for the next two months in terms of fertiliser purchases, Woulfe stated at the time.
Russia is reportedly a key global provider of phosphates, a major exporter of finished phosphate fertiliser, and also the largest global producer and supplier of high-grade igneous phosphate rock.