There are serious concerns surrounding fertiliser supply for next spring, particularly nitrogen and phosphate.

While fertiliser is available to purchase, the current seasonal lack of demand for fertiliser from farmers andthe high cost of purchasing stock by importers means fertiliser stocks are low.

EU production of nitrogen is down approximately 70% due to plant closures as a result of high natural gas prices. Urea is likely to be more widely available than CAN next season.

Phosphorus is another product causing concern. Morocco is now Ireland’s main source for this product and logistical issues mean shipping needs to start soon to have supply in the spring time.

Limited storage for bulk fertiliser and scheduled maintenance of bagging plants here in Ireland are all factors feeding into the supply issue.

However, the bottom line is that Ireland uses almost 1.7m tonnes of fertiliser in a year. In 2021, approximately 935,000t of fertiliser were in the country by the end of March, while in 2022 this figure was at 805,000t.

A spokesperson from Target Fertilisers told the Irish Farmers Journal that that its fertiliser stocks are well below usual levels for the time of year.

“I’d say there was never as little stock in the country among importers as there is this year.

“Our stocks would definitely be less versus normal years. It’s just too risky to buy anything at the moment, it’s just too high. CAN is the trouble, getting prices is very difficult and we are kind of worried about that,” he said.

Prices are at the top end of the market at the moment, he claimed, which is turning importers off buying due to the fact that it won’t be sold to farmers until March and April.

An industry source said that some companies are “standing back from buying” because the “unpredictability in the marketplace was just too high” at present.