What fertiliser can I purchase in 2024?

Purchasing fertiliser has become a lot more complicated in recent years. It’s not just a case of rocking up to your local co-op and purchasing two tonnes of 18:6:12 for the silage ground anymore.

Preparation and planning is very important to avoid penalties and also to make sure you are getting the maximum results from any fertiliser that is spread on your farm.

Changes to the Nitrates Directive brought in on 1 January 2023 mean that all farmers stocked above 130kg/n/ha must have a valid set of soil samples taken from their farm.

The stocking rate is based on the previous year’s grassland stocking rate. If no soil samples are taken in this case, Index 4 will be assumed for the entire farm which will result in no P allowance for the farm. That means no slurry can be imported and all fertiliser purchases must have no phosphorus included.

The fertiliser register takes account of all purchases made on your farm so if fertiliser with P is purchased against your herd number the Department of Agriculture will know you have exceeded your P limit if you get an inspection.

Table 1 outlines the new nitrogen excretion rates for livestock implemented in 2024. These figures are important for calculating your stocking rate.

From 1 January 2024, all farms that were stocked above 130kg/N/ha in 2023 are ineligible to apply for a TAMS grant on a low emission slurry spreader. This stocking rate drops to 100kg/N/ha from 1 January 2025. Farmers who are stocked at 130kg, or above, must spread their slurry via LESS from 1 January 2024 and all farmers stocked above 100kg/N/ha must spread their slurry via LESS from 1 January 2025. All pig slurry must be spread via LESS since 1 January 2023.

John is farming 70 acres in Co Cavan. He has 25 cows calving in March and April and sells the weanlings in October and November. He keeps about five other cattle, replacement heifers and a stock bull. He keeps 40 ewes and rears 20 calves to forward store stage.

He buys calves as one-month-olds in April and brings them through to April in the following two years.

He was importing 5,000 gallons of pig slurry to mix tanks every year and he is feeding about 30 tonnes of meal annually.

Explainer

This farm is stocked at 160kg/N/ha so all slurry must be spread by LESS. Based on the meal being fed and phosphorus imported via pig slurry, this farmer can spread 4,994kg of chemical N, 167kg of P and 334kg of K.

This could be made up of 1.79t of urea (46%), 13.59t of CAN+S (27%) and 2.78t of 18:6:12.

Michael is farming 130 acres in Galway. He keeps 30 sucklers and 100 ewes.

Cows calve in February and March with cattle sold as stores in May and June at 16 to 18 months.

Ewes are lambed in February with lambs sold each year from June to August. He’s feeding about 40 tonnes of meal in the year.

Michael had an outfarm with 23ha that wasn’t soil sampled, so this has been assumed at index 3 for the purposes of his fertiliser calculations.

Explainer

This farm is stocked at 106kg/N/ha, so has until 1 January 2025 to change to LESS. Soil fertility is lower on this farm, so there is a greater need for P fertiliser.

This farm can spread 5,248kg of chemical N, 426kg of chemical P and 852kg of K. This could be made up using 7.1t of 18:6:12 and 14.7t of CAN (27%N).

David is farming 25 acres in Co Mayo. He has 10 cows. He calves the cows in May and sells weanlings the following March when they are 10 to 11 months. No soil samples have been taken in the last four years.

The fact that no soil samples have been taken for this farm means that all P indexes are assumed index 3, so a small amount of chemical P is allowed to be spread on this farm.

Explainer

This farm is stocked at 80kg/N/ha with no soil samples taken.

This farm can spread 856kg of chemical N, 0kg of chemical P and 139kg of chemical K.

This could be made up of 1.24t of 27:2.5:5, 1.54t of 23:2.5:5 and 0.62t of CAN (27% N).

Aisling Kiernan from Midland Agri Consultants said this was by far the most common scenario that they have encountered this spring.

Farmers who have no soil samples have to assume Index 3 once they are stocked below 130kg/N/ha.

Farmers stocked over 130kg/N/ha will be assumed Index 4 for phosphorus if no soil samples are taken

Deirdre is farming 100 acres in Meath. She is buying in 60 spring-born weanlings bullocks and heifers at eight to 10 months in October and November, bringing them through to finish at 28 months in July and August.

She feeds about 60 tonnes of meal annually. She imports 10,000 gallons of slurry from a neighbouring dairy farmer annually.

Explainer

This farm is also stocked at 147kg/N/ha and there is a high proportion of the farm at Index 3 and 4 for phosphorus.

This means that this farm can spread 6,077kg of chemical N, 120kg of chemical P and 74kg of chemical K. This could go out in the form of 2 tonne of 18:6:12, and 21 tonnes of CAN or the urea equivalent.

Mary is farming 50 acres in Co Leitrim. She has five pedigree suckler cows, selling bulls and heifers at 12 months of age.

he also rears 30 dairy-beef calves, buying calves at one-month-old and brings them through to finish at 24 months of age. She feeds about 30 tonnes of meal annually.

Explainer

Mary’s farm is stocked at 146kg/N/ha and a lot of the farm is Index 1 and 2 for phosphorus, so soil fertility is low.

Mary can spread 1,752kg of chemical N, 445kg of chemical P and 890kg of chemical K.

Some of this P and K could also be replaced by imported cattle or pig slurry if that was available.

Farmers need to be very careful in what type of fertiliser they purchase in 2024.

Many extensive drystock farmers would have a traditional approach when purchasing fertiliser and would always buy a fertiliser with phosphorus included.

The changes introduced mean that this strategy is no longer a viable one, given the complications that the fertiliser register has brought.

Some farmers have argued that given the small amount of fertiliser being spread, it would make little difference, but if you are over your P allowance by 1kg, it will result in a cross-compliance penalty on inspection.

Paul Belton from Midland Agri Consultants said: “There is a huge amount of unawareness out there. Farmers just don’t know what these changes have meant and I can see huge issues coming down the line where inspections take place and the wrong fertiliser has been purchased and spread.

“Every farm is different based on stocking rate, imported P and meal being fed, so it’s very hard to give a one-size-fits-all answer.

“We have been advising our clients to get soil samples taken to know where you stand and then buy the fertiliser based on what you need.”