Fertiliser prices have fallen another fraction this week with the price of CAN now well below the €400/t mark.

This is the first time since the beginning of 2022 that CAN has traded under €400/t. Farmers have responded swiftly to the price drops and fertiliser orders are picking up in merchants’ stores across the country.

Demand is strongest for CAN and cut sward as a result of “poor-quality first cuts” one merchant told the Irish Farmers Journal.

Both CAN plus sulphur and protected urea plus sulphur are being sought widely by farmers for silage ground.

However, ordinary urea sales are sluggish, with a midlands merchant saying he has “a pile of stock” that he can’t shift.

“There’s next to no demand for ordinary urea at the minute. Protected urea, cut sward and CAN are really all lads are using now,” he said.

Farmers in Co Kilkenny can buy bulk CAN for as low as €330/t while in Cavan, big bags of CAN are also trading at €330/t. In general, for half-tonne bags, prices for CAN are ranging between €370/t and €390/t in the rest of the country.

Protected urea (46% nitrogen) is trading between €475/t and €550/t.

Protected urea plus sulphur (38% nitrogen) is costing farmers on average €530/t.

Cut sward is ranging in price from €470/t to €530/t, while orders of pasture sward are also moving from merchants’ yards and are selling for as low as €440/t in Cavan and €450/t in the west of the country.

In general, most merchants are charging around the €510/t to €520/t mark for pasture sward.