Fertiliser import volumes into both the EU and Ireland surged in the final months of 2025 as the European Commission’s new carbon tax loomed for any fertilisers that were to be imported into the EU from January 2026.
This January's nitrogenous fertiliser imports were 90% lower into Ireland than they had been over the past five years, while the import of all fertiliser types dropped by 70%.
However, there were 185,270t of nitrogenous fertilisers imported into Ireland in the last three months of 2025, according to the Commission’s fertiliser dashboard.
This is a jump of two-thirds compared with an average of the past five years’ import figures for the same timeframe, a volume of 110,830t.
Similarly, the overall volume of nitrogen fertilisers imported to the EU as a whole increased by 45% in Q4 2025 when compared with the average of the previous five years’ imports for the same timeframe.
There were 4.748m tonnes of nitrogenous fertilisers shipped into the EU for these three months in 2025, while the five-year average for the timeframe is just 3.273m tonnes.
All fertilisers
Imports were not just up for nitrogenous fertilisers but across all categories of fertilisers. The figures below exclude animal or vegetable fertilisers, such as meat and bone meal.
The dashboard shows an import lift of 50% for all fertilisers imported into Ireland over the last three months of 2025 in comparison to the equivalent five-year average.
The increase represents an additional 71,350t of fertiliser landing in the country over these three months.
Total fertiliser imports into the EU for last three months of 2025 ran 20% over the level of the five-year average for the same months.
It should be noted that some of the increased imports in the last three months of 2025 may have made their way to farms before the year was out as farmers in sectors that experienced strong farmgate were likely looking at ways to reduce abnormally high 2025 tax bills.
The figures do not account for any variation in the blends imported, which may have impacted the volume of nutrients that entered Ireland/the EU if the blends imported varied significantly between last year and the average of the past five years.
New tax impact
The importation volume figures quoted above were taken from the Commission’s dashboard as EU umbrella farm organisation Copa Cogeca has warned that the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) applied since January has collapsed EU fertiliser imports.
Copa Cogeca sounded alarm that January 2026 nitrogen fertiliser imports had declined by over 80% when compared with the five-year January import average.
However, the dashboard figures listed above would point towards the late-2025 import surge more than covering this January import slump in both Ireland and the EU.
Read more
Increase in fertiliser sales of 15% last year
€20/t hike in fertiliser prices
CBAM to increase fertiliser price and increase emissions
Warnings of another fertiliser crisis as EU imports plummet
Fertiliser import volumes into both the EU and Ireland surged in the final months of 2025 as the European Commission’s new carbon tax loomed for any fertilisers that were to be imported into the EU from January 2026.
This January's nitrogenous fertiliser imports were 90% lower into Ireland than they had been over the past five years, while the import of all fertiliser types dropped by 70%.
However, there were 185,270t of nitrogenous fertilisers imported into Ireland in the last three months of 2025, according to the Commission’s fertiliser dashboard.
This is a jump of two-thirds compared with an average of the past five years’ import figures for the same timeframe, a volume of 110,830t.
Similarly, the overall volume of nitrogen fertilisers imported to the EU as a whole increased by 45% in Q4 2025 when compared with the average of the previous five years’ imports for the same timeframe.
There were 4.748m tonnes of nitrogenous fertilisers shipped into the EU for these three months in 2025, while the five-year average for the timeframe is just 3.273m tonnes.
All fertilisers
Imports were not just up for nitrogenous fertilisers but across all categories of fertilisers. The figures below exclude animal or vegetable fertilisers, such as meat and bone meal.
The dashboard shows an import lift of 50% for all fertilisers imported into Ireland over the last three months of 2025 in comparison to the equivalent five-year average.
The increase represents an additional 71,350t of fertiliser landing in the country over these three months.
Total fertiliser imports into the EU for last three months of 2025 ran 20% over the level of the five-year average for the same months.
It should be noted that some of the increased imports in the last three months of 2025 may have made their way to farms before the year was out as farmers in sectors that experienced strong farmgate were likely looking at ways to reduce abnormally high 2025 tax bills.
The figures do not account for any variation in the blends imported, which may have impacted the volume of nutrients that entered Ireland/the EU if the blends imported varied significantly between last year and the average of the past five years.
New tax impact
The importation volume figures quoted above were taken from the Commission’s dashboard as EU umbrella farm organisation Copa Cogeca has warned that the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) applied since January has collapsed EU fertiliser imports.
Copa Cogeca sounded alarm that January 2026 nitrogen fertiliser imports had declined by over 80% when compared with the five-year January import average.
However, the dashboard figures listed above would point towards the late-2025 import surge more than covering this January import slump in both Ireland and the EU.
Read more
Increase in fertiliser sales of 15% last year
€20/t hike in fertiliser prices
CBAM to increase fertiliser price and increase emissions
Warnings of another fertiliser crisis as EU imports plummet
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