The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine will meet this evening (Wednesday, April 26) to discuss the disparity in fertiliser prices around the country.
The meeting will hear from representatives of the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA), the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA), the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers’ Association (INHFA), and the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA).
Speaking ahead of the committee session, its chairperson, Fianna Fáil TD Jackie Cahill, said: “The price of fertiliser, and in particular the difference in prices across the country, is a real concern for farmers.
“According to the CSO [Central Statistics Office], Irish farmers paid more than 140% more for fertiliser last year compared to 2021.
“Much of the price rises across Europe in recent years have been driven by the rise in gas prices and the war in Ukraine,” the Tipperary TD said.
Gas prices are now falling. However, Cahill said that there is a lag in this being translated into reduced fertiliser prices.
He added that there is also an overhang of higher-priced fertiliser stock in wholesalers.
“While farmers close to the border can benefit from reduced fertiliser prices in Northern Ireland, their counterparts further south are still paying more.
“The further south they are, the higher the price they face. We are seeing price differences of up to €200/t for urea and around €150/t for calcium ammonium nitrate [CAN],” Cahill said.
The committee chairperson said that the views of the stakeholders are welcomed “to discuss this critical matter for our agriculture sector”.
The meeting starts at 5:30p.m in Committee Room 3 of Leinster House.
‘Unbelievable’ disparity in fertiliser price
The difference in the prices quoted for fertiliser across the country is “unbelievable”, according to a senior policy executive with the IFA.
Karol Kissane, who was among the guest speakers at the Kerry IFA annual general meeting (AGM) held in Tralee on Monday (April 24), said that there has been a “drastic fall” in the price of fertiliser in France since last September/October.
However, he said that “it’s only maybe in the last month or six weeks that we’ve seen any bit of a drop in Ireland”.
“The issues in the last couple of months, and what I would say, almost for want of a better word, the overcharging for fertiliser here in the Republic [of Ireland], has been unbelievable,” Kissane added.