‘Confusion’ around fertiliser allowances

Just 25pc of annual fertiliser stocks have left importers’ yards, Liam Dunphy of Gouldings said at the National Fodder and Food Security Committee meeting last week.

“Normally that percentage is in the region of 55-60pc. That percentage of fertiliser needs to get out there to make the wheels turn in April and May.”

He said something needed to be done in relation to hauliers as “the country needs to move roughly 1,000 lorry loads of fertiliser per day for every single day of April”.

“I think there is a lot of confusion out there at farm level... about what farmers are actually allowed to use. The feedback from merchant and co-op customers is that farmers are just chancing maybe 6-8t of straight nitrogen, urea or whatever product, and they’re not buying the quantities they normally buy because they are afraid around the P allowances.”

The country, he said, is underusing nitrogen. “We have the scope to use more nationally. The message needs to free up a bit that farmers are allowed to use more than they’re actually using on a national basis.

Silage

“There tends to be a perception there that we can’t use it almost. And the reality is if we probably used our national allowance last year, we may not be in the situation with silage stocks today that we are.”

Committee chairman Mike Magan said he could not agree more with the comments on nitrogen. “I am a huge advocate of the principle of adequate and appropriate amounts of nitrogen, but we have to establish what that is.”

The committee also heard about the mounting pressure on contractors as work builds up on farms, and the risk of logistics and haulage challenges that could impact on fertiliser and feed movements in the weeks ahead, resulting in delivery delays.

At the meeting, Teagasc highlighted the low levels of fertiliser that has been spread on farms across the country due to weather and ground conditions.

Michael O’Donovan, from Pasture-base Ireland, told the meeting that 70pc of farms have no nitrogen spread, compared to this time last year when 70pc had spread nitrogen. He advised farmers to buy nitrogen and apply it when ground conditions improve.