Farmers have until this Sunday (October 15) to submit details on the closing stock of chemical fertiliser on their farm to the National Fertiliser Database.
Farms that have no fertiliser stocks remaining must also submit confirmation that there are no remaining stocks on their farm.
Farmers can enter their closing fertiliser stocks on the fertiliser database through their Agfood online accounts. Once logged in, scroll down and select the National Fertiliser Database tab.
Beside the farm business ID, click the three dots under the ‘Actions’ heading. A list of options will appear and from this, click the option titled: ‘Closing stock’.
From here, farmers can either declare the closing stock on the farm or alternatively, that there is no fertiliser stock remaining on the farm.
A letter from DAFM sent to farmers in August this year outlined that the chemical fertiliser spreading season for nitrogen and phosphorous ends on September 14.
The letter said that once the spreading season closes: “You will have until October 15, to submit details of the closing stock of fertiliser (including nil stock) on your farm to the National Fertiliser Database”.
The closing stock submitted will then be used as the farms’ opening stock value for the following year.
According to the DAFM letter: “Having a record of opening stock, purchases and closing stock of fertiliser on farm will allow you to accurately and easily record your overall fertiliser use during the year.”
The department also said it “recognises that the introduction of the National Fertiliser Database is a significant change” but added “for most farmers once registered, the database will only require an annual declaration of closing stock”.