Irish farmers are paying “unrealistic, exorbitant, over-the-top prices” for fertiliser while the price in some countries is an estimated 40% cheaper, a TD told the Dáil today (Tuesday, February 21).
Independent TD for Kerry, Danny Healy-Rae said that in recent weeks “Germany, other European countries and the UK are paying 40% less than our farmers for fertilisers”.
“They pay €500/t for urea while Irish farmers are paying €850 to €900,” Deputy Healy-Rae said.
The TD said the problem pre-dated the war in Ukraine and claimed that “some co-ops will not quote farmers today for the price-per-tonne for fertiliser”.
According to Deputy Healy-Rae some co-ops will provide fertiliser to farmers “and send the bill later”.
“It is very clear that the fertiliser distributors and suppliers are profiteering at the expense of our farmers. The profits of Yara, one of the fertiliser suppliers, increased by 60% between September and December last year.
“Mosaic, one of the leading producers, doubled its profits in the same period. The whole thing is rotten with farmers suffering and households crippled with increased food costs,” the deputy told the Dáil.
According to the Independent TD for Kerry, urea was €380/t in 2021 and in 2022 it was €1,000/t and it is currently €900/t.
Fertiliser prices
“There has been a constant reduction in the price of natural gas – up to 85% – since last September. We should be seeing a major reduction in the cost of fertiliser,” Deputy Healy-Rae said.
But he believes there has not been a reduction in fertiliser prices in Ireland because there is not “proper competition”.
“Why is it that we are paying €850/t or €900/t for urea when Germany and other countries in the EU and across the water in the UK are only paying €500/t?” the deputy detailed.
“I am calling for a high-powered investigation at national and European levels into what is happening.
“What is the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) for? Is it a charade? Is it being paid for nothing? It is not helping Irish farmers or Irish consumers in how it is letting this situation go unattended,” Deputy Healy-Rae declared.
The Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, acknowledged in the Dáil today that “the price of fertiliser has gone through the roof in the last year or so”.
“I know that very high fertiliser prices have cancelled out a lot of the gains that farmers had got from strong prices for what they produced,” the Taoiseach added.
He told Deputy Healy-Rae that he was not not aware of the details “when it comes to the disparity in prices between Ireland and the UK”.
“I will ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to examine that and see if it can be explained or what the reason is.
“I do not see why there should be a major disparity between the prices that farmers pay for fertilisers here versus in the UK or other parts of western Europe,” the Taoiseach said.