National fertiliser and lime sales statistics

According to the latest data released by the Department of Agriculture, the following are the statistics on fertiliser sales;

1 Tonnes of nitrogen (N) sold in 23/24 were 310,411t.

This was an increase of 10.64% compared with the previous year (22/23). However, the 23/24 sales were 9.6% lower than 21/22 and 22% lower than 20/21.The Climate Action Plan sets a target N use of 330,000t by 2025 and 300,000t by 2030.

2 Tonnes of phosphorus (P) sold in 23/24 were 28,736t.

This was a decrease of 6.6% compared with the previous year (22/23). This shows a continued declining trend in phosphorus fertiliser sales in 23/24, which were 16% lower than 21/22 and 37.6% lower than 20/21.

3 Tonnes of potassium (K) sold in 23/24 were 88,058t.

This was an increase of 7.4% compared with the previous year (22/23). However, the levels of potassium fertiliser sales in 23/24 were 5.9% lower than 21/22 and 28.4% lower than 20/21, indicating that potassium fertiliser use on farms was much lower in the last couple of years compared to previous levels.

4 Overall fertiliser sales in 23/24 were 1,195,518t.

This was an increase of 8.2% compared to the previous year (22/23). Although the fertiliser figures in 23/24 represent a halt in declining sales in recent years, the total fertiliser sales figures were still 10.8% lower than 21/22 and 26.9% lower than 20/21.

5 Estimated lime sales nationally in 2024 were c900,000t.

This was a decrease of 13% compared with lime sales the previous year (2023) of 1,019,000t. In both 2022 and 2021, lime sales were approximately 50% higher than last year, at 1,386,917t and 1,333,100t respectively.

New online calculators are available from the Fertiliser Association of Ireland which can be accessed by scanning the QR code. These include new P&K app and helpful calculators for converting kg/ha to units/ac.

Calculate fertiliser requirements:

Easily calculate how much fertiliser product you need for your next application and calibrate your slurry spreader using the simple calculator by scanning the QR code below or clicking here.