Green Pages Feed Trade Topics from the Island of Ireland


NITROGEN PRICES TO EASE DURING THE SECOND QUARTER OF 2023 There is growing expectation that Irish nitrogen (N) fertiliser prices will start to ease late in the second quarter of this year. Grassland Agro managing director, Liam Woulfe, spoke at the recent Ulster Arable Society annual conference. He confirmed that natural gas, ammonia, phosphate and potash


prices, despite some reductions from their peaks, remain at levels that are up to four-times higher than they were prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “In my view there is enough fertiliser in the country or contracted


to arrive to meet farmers’ needs up to the middle of March or so,” he added.


“But this product must be brought through the system in a normal


pattern first in order to allow importers to secure the stocks they need for use later in the spring. No importer can live with the risk of increasing their current inventories as the working capital that is currently tied up is already unsustainable and cannot be increased further.” He went on to say “a blocked pipeline ie in the supply chain will cause supply disruptions when peak supplies are required.” So, according to Woulfe, if farmers do not purchase and utilise


the stocks of fertiliser that are now available from merchants and Co- ops in the normal pattern, importers and merchants will not have the wherewithal to secure the potentially somewhat cheaper supplies of product that will be required for application later in the season. He commented: “We need to see significant quantities fertiliser moving on to farm over the coming weeks.” While Woulfe is holding out the prospect of nitrogen (N) prices


coming back later in the year, the same trends are not as evident insofar as phosphorous (P) and potash (K) are concerned as the price of these two nutrients are stubbornly more firm. “P and K prices will be staying where they are for the foreseeable future,” he commented. In 2022, total fertiliser sales fell by almost 20% in Ireland relative


to 2021. However, Nitrogen consumption was only down by about 14% while the combined P and K reduction in consumption was over 30%.


The Grassland Agro representative is now concerned about the impact of this development on overall soil health. “Under the new climate change regulations there will be a


requirement to reduce the total amount of fertiliser N used in 2023 versus 2021 by 10%. To achieve this, the reduction in consumption of N fertiliser in 2022 will need to be maintained,” he said. “But this issue must be considered in the context of the overall


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objective, which is to improve the sustainability of Irish farming and agriculture in every respect.” Woulfe continued: “The scope to improve fertiliser utilisation rates within Irish agriculture is immense. “But in order to achieve this, we need to soil test and use the data


from same to create specific and unique fertiliser plans for each farmer to optimise the soil capability and in turn the forage output of their farm with minimum effect on farm output in the short and long term.” It has long been recognised that soil pH values greatly determine


the utilisation efficiency of applied fertilisers. Recent surveys have confirmed that about 90% of Irish grassland soils are well below their optimal value in one, two or all combinations of pH, P and K. Liam Woulfe concluded: “Grassland Agro has joined forces with


industry partners, including co-ops and merchants, to implement a soil sustainability programme. “This will help their farmer-customers by working directly with


each individual farmer on their farm on the detailed diagnosis in order to optimise their soil and forage output in the most sustainable basis through our specific process across the island of Ireland. “Soil testing diagnosis and action therefrom, which is guided


by farm output optimisation while staying within the ever tightening fertilisation regulatory tolerances, are at the very heart of this work at an individual farm basis. While we have a significant resource of agronomy staff they will ultimately have a limited overall capability. But if any farmers wishes to get involved, they should talk to their co-op, merchant or any of my Grassland Agro team.” “Finally, given the trends in fertiliser sales last year, I am deeply


concerned that soil P and K index values have even taken a further hit and thus this further increases the bar to achieve optimum farm output while remaining compliant with regulations.”


IRELAND’S FOOD REGULATOR MUST HAVE REAL POWERS TO INTERVENE IN THE FOOD CHAIN Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) president, Tim Cullinan, has called on Ireland’s Minister for Agriculture and Food, Charlie McConalogue, to strengthen the regulatory powers of the Office of Fairness and Transparency in the Food Chain. “While the Office has now been given the title of Regulator, it


doesn’t appear to have the necessary powers needed to effect real change,” he said. Cullinan said the food regulator must have the power to ensure


a fair distribution of the price consumers pay to all parts of the food chain, including farmers. He added: “Enforcement of the Unfair Trading Practices Directive


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