The National Fodder and Food Security Committee (NFFSC) has been told how the “hangover” from high fertiliser prices is continuing to impact the supply chain.
Liam Dunphy of the Irish Fertiliser Manufacturers and Blenders’ Association told a meeting of the committee yesterday (Wednesday, January 24) that there has been “no activity in fertiliser since last August”.
“We now need to be conscious that we don’t allow a logistical crisis to develop around fertiliser for the spring,” he said.
Fertiliser
Figures produced by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) on fertiliser imports for July, August and September were “significantly down” on the same period in 2022.
Dunphy said that imports in October were “particularly low” based on industry data.
“There is a fear right down to farm level, co-op, merchant trade and at our own level about bringing in fertiliser and getting caught for the prices,” he said.
However, Dunphy added that the “dye is cast” now for European prices for spring.
The Irish Fertiliser Manufacturers and Blenders’ Association is estimating that fertiliser usage in Ireland will increase by 18% this year, when compared to 2023, to around 1.37 million tonnes.
“We need to get that that stuff moving now into yards and onto farms in order to have it there when people need it,” Dunphy said.
“It will be there, but we need to get the supply chain moving in order to keep it going,” he added.
Chair of the NFFSC Mike Magan agreed that sentiment around fertiliser had been impacted by the high prices of recent years.
“I think we have to ensure that we do have fertiliser and we do need to be signalling how much we need and when we need it as farmers,” he said.
Nitrogen use
Head of grassland science in Teagasc Moorepark, Michael O’Donovan told the meeting that there is currently a high supply of grass on farms.
An average growth rate of 4kg dry matter (DM)/day was reported on farms from December to January, following good grass growth from July to the end of last year.
However, O’Donovan noted that there has been less grass grown overall on farms over the past two years, on the back of a drop in nitrogen (N) use due to increased cost.
O’Donovan said that slurry and chemical nitrogen (N) applications should proceed as normal on farms, with increased awareness needed around the effective use of N in the March-April period.