Farmers in Ireland bought just over 1.14 million tonnes of fertiliser in the first three quarters of the 2026 fertiliser year, 5.5% less than the 1.2 million tonnes sold in the same period a year earlier, according to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The figure for the same period of 2023/24 was 956,129 tonnes.

Between 1 October 2025 and 30 June 2026, 628,643 tonnes of compound fertilisers and 510,717 tonnes of straights were sold. The nutrient sold totalled 381,145 tonnes, almost 8% less than a year earlier.

The best-selling compounds were 18-6-12 (136,371 tonnes), 27-2.5-5 (107,015 tonnes) and 24-2.5-10 (87,198 tonnes). More than 22,000 tonnes of stabilised urea compounds, over 152,000 tonnes of CAN 26% with 5% sulphur, 108,000 tonnes of CAN 27% and almost 56,000 tonnes of straight stabilised urea were sold.

Tánaiste and Finance Minister Simon Harris told the Dáil on 24 September that the government is working on supports for farmers facing soaring fertiliser and fuel costs. The Fuel Income Support Scheme will be extended, and measures on fertiliser and fodder are to be finalised in the coming days.

Pressure for a fertiliser scheme has grown since EU member states approved the €540 million EU Fertiliser Action Plan in July. Ireland's allocation of almost €15.4 million can be topped up by up to 200% from national funds, which would make the Irish scheme worth €46.2 million. The report is by Aisling O'Brien.

Photo: Andy Beecroft / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Source: Agriland