At merchant level, demand for fertiliser has tailed off and, in many cases, so too have prices.

This comes as global fertiliser prices have continued to drop over the last few months.

“I was offered urea for €880/t but I’m going to sit tight; it’ll have to come down further in price. The market could collapse yet just like it did in the spring of 2009,” a large tillage grower in south Tipperary told the Irish Farmers Journal.

Merchants, he said, are eager to shift stock that they bought in at big prices in case the market falls even further, adding that they were looking for money straight away.

“If prices don’t drop, we won’t be able to stay producing the way we are, especially if we’re only getting €230/t for green barley next spring,” he said.

Merchants across the country are trading CAN for between €800/t and €850/t at the moment.

Urea then is trading from as low as €880/t in parts, up to €1,000/t.

Tirlán is currently not selling any fertiliser and is not giving out prices to farmers.

One Munster-based co-op said fertiliser sales have been quiet since 1 November as farmers are “holding tough” to see if prices come down a bit.