The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue has decided to recall the National Food and Fodder Security Committee.
A meeting of a sub-group of the committee focused on fertiliser is scheduled to take place at the Teagasc Crops Research Centre, Oak Park, Co. Carlow on Thursday, April 13 at 2:30p.m.
The committee last met in October 2022 to discuss concerns about availability of fertiliser stocks for the coming year due to volatility in the supply chain caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
During that meeting the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) said that sales of nitrogen (N) were showing a decrease of 20%, while the decrease in sales of phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) were about 30% lower, in comparison to 2021.
Committee
It is understood that Minister McConalogue has now sought to recall the committee to renew the focus on fodder and feed requirements and ensure there are adequate stocks in the country in the coming months.
It is expected that the fertiliser sub-group will be provided with an update on the current availability of forage and fertiliser against the backdrop of ongoing market challenges and difficult weather and growth conditions.
The in-person meeting follows numerous calls on Minister McConalogue to launch an investigation into the fertiliser industry due to the prices being quoted to farmers.
The price of fertiliser has dropped by over 40% to farmers in markets such as the UK and Germany, but similar decreases have yet to be seen across Ireland.
This has resulted in farmers here holding off buying fertiliser until prices fall.
However, the minister previously told Agriland‘ that there will be no government-backed investigation into the price farmers are paying for fertiliser in Ireland.
He said that fertiliser prices are “outside” of his control adding that it is a “market issue”.
Meanwhile, the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) has warned that farmers in the west of the country who have been forced to keep cows and cattle housed because of weather conditions are under “extreme pressure” as fodder costs mount.
Water-logged land in Co. Galway has pushed demand for fodder to a high at this time of year and also forced some farmers to pay out for feed that they may not have budgeted for.