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Supplies of protected urea are limited in some agri stores, with some farmers reporting they cannot get the product at all.
Fertiliser industry representatives are aware there are supply limitations in some areas, but, have increased supply of the product year on year for the last three years.
In December Teagasc Research boss Frank O’Mara wrote to milk processors after concerns were raised about the possibility of residues from protected urea turning up in milk or other dairy products.
In our view these data indicate no meaningful risk of residues in milk under normal conditions of use
In a two-page document, the Teagasc boss said work on potential residues is ongoing and the first results should be available by the end of 2020.
However, after reviewing information from other countries, it is confident the risk of the urease inhibitor residue turning up in product is limited.
The letter reads: “In our view these data indicate no meaningful risk of residues in milk under normal conditions of use on Irish grassland farms.”
Others within the fertiliser trade have also raised the potential residue issue from the reagents used when creating the coating. The Teagasc letter makes no reference to this.
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