The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has said that over 1.2m tonnes of fertiliser were sold in the first three quarters of the fertiliser year.

This marks a 26% increase when compared to the amount sold by this time last year, which was 956,129t.

DAFM statistics show that from October 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025, 669,286t of compound fertilisers and 536,214t of straight fertilisers were sold.

Over 413,363t of nutrient was sold in the nine-month period, which is up 23% on the previous year.

The latest data shows that a total of 1.16m tonnes of nitrogen (N) fertiliser was sold in the nine months to June 30, up on the 929,544t sold in the same period last year.

656,826t of the overall N figure sold from October 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025 were compounds, with 507,866t sold as straights.

Sales of phosphorous (P) rose by over 19% compared to the same period last year to 618,476t, while potassium sales increased by nearly 22% to 687,914t in the period.

There are a number of closing dates approaching for the application of chemical fertiliser, slurry, and farm yard manure.

September 14 is the last day farmers are permitted to spread chemical nitrogen or phosphorus fertiliser on their land for this year, with the prohibited application period commencing on Monday, September 15.

DAFM has also said that unprotected urea in solid form will no longer be permitted to be spread on land after September 14, 2025.