On almost any journey you take these days you will see a fertiliser spreader somewhere along the way. So how much is fertiliser spreading costing where a contractor is hired in to do the job?

In this short article, we provide a quick glimpse of a selection of prices (charge-out rates) being touted (in advertisements) around the country. These figures are simply those that were observed at the time of writing.

Spreading rates

In Co. Wicklow, a bulk spreader will set you back €30/t (excluding VAT) where the product is being spread on silage ground or compound on spring cereals.

Where smaller amounts are being applied to paddocks or grazing ground the charge changes to an hourly rate of €70/hour (excluding VAT).

Moving across to Co. Kildare that price is again €30/t (excluding VAT) with a bulk fertiliser spreader. This time it was a flat rate and there was no variation in price for the amount being spread per acre.

In Co. Tipperary, one contractor was charging €30/t including VAT or €25/t excluding VAT where the farmer loads the spreader, while another contractor was charging a flat rate of €45/hour (including VAT). Both of these contractors were using GPS enabled mounted spreaders.

In Co. Longford, €30/t (excluding VAT) was the charge per hour from one contractor with a bulk spreader.

FCI Guide Rates

The Association of Farm and Forestry Contractors in Ireland (FCI) releases ‘guide’ rates for contracting services each year. In this year’s rates, €37/t or €84/hour (excluding VAT) are the guide prices for broadcast fertiliser spreading.

€37/t (excluding VAT) is the guide rate for bulk fertiliser spreading.