Since the fertiliser price rise last autumn, there has not been a major shift in the value since. This week, the Irish Farmers Journal carried out a price survey from fertiliser merchants and co-operatives from around the country. The results of the survey are summarised in Table 1.

Quotes for spring 2019 are on average €30 to €40/t higher than they were this time last year.

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One positive point to note is prices are not anticipated to increase over the next few weeks, with most analysts predicting the market to remain stable at the very least.

Prices have eased slightly since we carried out this survey in early January and we might see further easing as the season progresses, but a significant drop is unlikely.

Merchants in the west and northwest said there was very little movement of fertiliser yet and they don’t expect many calls until mid-March

Merchants commented that buying peaked at the end of December (mainly in the south) and picked up again in mid-January.

According to one merchant in the south, there was a lot of fertiliser sold last week, but it has slackened off since with the return of wet and cold weather.

He expects if the weather plays ball that it will get busy again as February progresses. Merchants in the west and northwest said there was very little movement of fertiliser yet and they don’t expect many calls until mid-March.

Prices

Quotes for urea are €381/t on average and range from €375/t to €390/t.

This quote has eased by almost €10/t since early January this year which is positive. However, this time last year urea prices ranged from €340/t to €360/t.

CAN quotes range from €280 to €305/t, with the average price at €288/t.

Again, these prices are up on last year by approximately €30/t, but have seen some small decreases since early January this year.

CAN-plus-sulphur products costs on average €5/t more.

Fertility issues

Farmers interested in correcting soil fertility issues on their farms have been using compounds fertilisers such as 10:10:20 and 18:6:12.

They are being quoted at €425/t and €388/t on average respectively.

The compound 27:2.5:5 is making €385/t on average. This is down €10/t compared with January quotes.

The cost of this compound has been decreasing steadily over the past couple of months.

Remember, prices vary depending on the volume purchased and whether or not it is a cash purchase or credit.

Bulk spreading

Some merchants offer farmers a bulk spreading service too, which is gaining popularity.

Charges vary from €30/t to €35/t spread on top of the cost of the fertiliser.

Some merchants offer discounts of €5 to €10/t for the fertiliser itself when spread this way.

One merchant said that the price of €30/t is only available when spreading two bags per acre or more.

He said under this rate, the price has to be reviewed and there could be a per-acre charge.