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The cost of animal feed for farmers increased some 27.3% in the 12 months to the end of April 2022, according to the latest analysis by the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
Meanwhile, fertiliser, seed, energy and plant protection products are up some 178%, 13%, 43% and 24% respectively over the same time period.
Different feed types have seen different levels of price increases, with straight livestock feed increasing in cost by some 42% over the year, while compound feed costs increased by 27%.
Poultry feed saw the lowest level of price increase, with prices at the end of April 2022 being 15% higher than they were at the end of April 2021. Cattle and pig feed costs both increased by 29% over the same time period.
Marginal increase
Of note, there was a comparatively small increase in the cost of veterinary care for Irish farmers, with expenses up 2.8% over the year.
Examining farm energy input cost increases, the CSO said that electricity costs increased 27% over the 12 months, motor fuel costs were up 50% and lubricants were up 5%.
Fertiliser continues to rise
Fertiliser prices have continued to rise, with overall prices at the end of April 2022 up 178% on the same time last year and 16% on March 2022.
Within this, straight fertiliser costs were up 228% and compound fertilisers were up 161% on the year, says the CSO. Looking at compound fertiliser prices, PK fertilisers were up 133% and NPK fertilisers were up 162%.
Monthly increases
While year on year all agricultural input costs were up, some commodities saw a decrease when compared with the previous month - March 2022.
According to the CSO, total energy costs were down some 7% in the month prior to 30 April. This was created by a 10% decrease in motor fuel costs between March and April and a slight decrease of 1% in lubricant costs over the same month.
Commenting on the release, CSO statistician Anthony Dawson said: "The most significant change is in the price of fertilisers where the price index is up 16.1% in the month from March 2022 and has increased by 177.8% in the year from April 2021.”
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