It’s hard to believe the transformation that has taken place in the fertiliser industry over the last decade. Ten years ago everything was relatively stable in terms of products and prices, and there was little scrutiny on the industry.
Then the spotlight came on fertiliser in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and the impact on water quality. This has led to the creation of new products, such as protected urea, which is designed and indeed encouraged as a replacement to both CAN and urea-based nitrogen.
By 2022, the pressure on fertiliser due to its environmental impact was matched by price pressure. This happened after the outbreak of the Ukraine war and the resultant sharp reduction in imports from Russia, combined with a big increase in energy costs. This saw urea prices at one stage reach over €1,200/t in 2022, three times higher than the normal price.
Between high prices and concerns over greenhouse gas emissions and water quality, nitrogen use in Ireland declined by over 30% between what was spread in 2023 versus what was spread in 2021. While rates have increased slightly since then, the overall trend is for a decline.
Now a new challenge faces the sector and farmers, and this comes in the form of CBAM, the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. This is an EU regulation designed to equalise the carbon footprint cost of fertiliser, steel, cement, etc, between domestic origin product and imported product.
Charged to those who import fertiliser from outside of the EU, it is highly likely that these additional costs will be passed back to the end user – the farmer.
On pages 44 and 45, Kieran Holden writes an explainer article on CBAM on behalf of the Irish Fertiliser Blenders and Manufacturers Association (IFMBA).
Meanwhile, Darren Carthy reviews new fertiliser rules on pages 48 and 49, while on pages 50 and 51 Siobhan Walsh has the latest advice on fertilising tillage crops.
It’s hard to believe the transformation that has taken place in the fertiliser industry over the last decade. Ten years ago everything was relatively stable in terms of products and prices, and there was little scrutiny on the industry.
Then the spotlight came on fertiliser in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and the impact on water quality. This has led to the creation of new products, such as protected urea, which is designed and indeed encouraged as a replacement to both CAN and urea-based nitrogen.
By 2022, the pressure on fertiliser due to its environmental impact was matched by price pressure. This happened after the outbreak of the Ukraine war and the resultant sharp reduction in imports from Russia, combined with a big increase in energy costs. This saw urea prices at one stage reach over €1,200/t in 2022, three times higher than the normal price.
Between high prices and concerns over greenhouse gas emissions and water quality, nitrogen use in Ireland declined by over 30% between what was spread in 2023 versus what was spread in 2021. While rates have increased slightly since then, the overall trend is for a decline.
Now a new challenge faces the sector and farmers, and this comes in the form of CBAM, the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. This is an EU regulation designed to equalise the carbon footprint cost of fertiliser, steel, cement, etc, between domestic origin product and imported product.
Charged to those who import fertiliser from outside of the EU, it is highly likely that these additional costs will be passed back to the end user – the farmer.
On pages 44 and 45, Kieran Holden writes an explainer article on CBAM on behalf of the Irish Fertiliser Blenders and Manufacturers Association (IFMBA).
Meanwhile, Darren Carthy reviews new fertiliser rules on pages 48 and 49, while on pages 50 and 51 Siobhan Walsh has the latest advice on fertilising tillage crops.
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