OUR prolonged spell of wet weather has not only saturated our soils but it has also dampened any early spring demand for fertilisers.

Most merchants and co-ops are reporting a very slow interest for any early season fertilisers with the exception of some dairy farmers planning for March grazing.

Farmers looking out at either saturated or waterlogged fields are not in the ‘buying humour’ for fertiliser, according to local merchants.

Galway IFA Environment Representative, Henry Walsh, told the Farming Tribune that standard urea can now be purchased for as low as €460 per tonne [from €490] while protected urea has dropped from €550 to €520 per tonne.

“At least fertiliser prices are back to manageable levels for farmers and a long way reduced from the peak of nearly €1,000 a tonne following the start of the war in the Ukraine.

“However, it is worth noting that the prices, are still a lot higher than they were in pre-2022, when urea could be bought for around €360/€370 per tonne,” Henry Walsh said..

He said that fertiliser seemed to be moving very slowly at present due in the main to the very wet state of the land but at least prices were going in the right direction.

With low stocks and slack demand, there is an absence of exact prices emerging although the indications seem to be towards ‘a steady market’, ranging from €370/€380 per tonne for CAN; €460 for urea; c. €500 for 18-6-12 and  €520 for protected urea.

Pictured: A very sluggish start to fertiliser sales across the west.