The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine has proposed legislation to provide for the establishment of a national fertiliser database and associated registers.

This bill has undergone pre-legislative scrutiny and is due to start second-stage examination in the Oireachtas shortly.

The National Fertiliser Database is being developed to:

  • Record fertiliser sales along the supply chain.
  • Achieve better compliance with water quality and environmental ambitions.
  • Fulfil a commitment to the European Commission when securing the current extension to Ireland’s Nitrates Derogation.
  • Simplify, in time, a farmer’s reporting of fertiliser use under regulatory schemes and voluntary initiatives.

    • Farmers

    Under the proposed legislation, a farmer who wishes to purchase fertiliser (including lime) will have to register as a professional fertiliser end user on the Department’s online portal www.agfood.ie.

    Following registration, which is a straightforward process, a unique identifier will be allocated to each user, which in the case of farmers will be their herd number. Farmers will have to upload stocks of fertiliser on farm once a year. There is no need for farmers to do anything until the legislation is enacted.

    Agri-merchants

    Under the proposed legislation if a co-op/merchant wants to sell fertiliser to a farmer or other professional fertiliser end user, they will need to register with the Department as a fertiliser economic operator.

    Furthermore, under the proposals, each consignment of fertiliser leaving a co-op or agri-merchant’s premises must be entered on the national fertiliser database.

    Details of the two ways in which a co-op or agri-merchant will be able to provide this data will be included in the full article which will be available on the Fertiliser Association of Ireland website.