The Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) has said that prices being paid for fertiliser by Irish farmers are “unsustainable”.
Addressing the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine on fertiliser, IFA deputy president Brian Rushe said the high cost of fertiliser in Ireland “is coming at a detrimental cost to Irish farmers’ livelihoods”.
He said that prices around Europe continue to decrease, with an almost 60% fall in prices between the peaks of 2022 and March 2023, but in Ireland prices have only reduced by a fraction.
Fertiliser prices in the UK
According to the IFA, in the UK, the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) reported that the price paid for urea by farmers had fallen by over 40% from September 2022 to February 2023.
The association added that fertiliser price data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) in the same period in Ireland showed that the price of urea only reduced by 9%, and that was from a higher level than the UK in September 2022.
“Farmers, as price takers, operate in a sector with very tight margins and must have the opportunity to purchase fertiliser at a fair and competitive price,” the IFA deputy president said.
“Farmers cannot pass on increases on their input costs directly in the price they sell their produce for.
“For that reason, it must always be ensured that farmers are paying a correct price for their inputs.
“Currently that is not happening, and the prices farmers are being quoted are simply unsustainable,” Rushe added.
In November 2022, the EU Commission announced the formation of a market observatory to share data on the production, use, prices, and trade for fertiliser in Europe.
The IFA has said that it will be an “active participant” in the expert group within the observatory and it hoped that all members of the Irish fertiliser trade will also fully engage in this.