Nitrogen surpluses on farms increased last year due to a rise in the level of chemical nitrogen spread without any major increase in output to balance it out.
Dairy farmers continue to lead the way in adopting protected urea as their source of chemical nitrogen. \ Donal O'Leary
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A jump in chemical fertiliser use last year saw the nitrogen balance of the average dairy, beef, sheep and tillage farm worsen, Teagasc’s sustainability report for 2024 signalled.
The difference between nitrogen spread or imported through feed on dairy farms and that which left the farmgate, such as in milk or sold livestock, reached 165kg N/ha.
The average for other sectors ranged from 55kg N/ha for cattle farms and 34kg N/ha for tillage farms.
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The increase in fertiliser use did not hamper efforts to reduce ammonia emissions on farms, as declines were reported across all sectors.
Some 85% of slurry on the average dairy farm and 45% of the slurry on the average cattle farm was applied with LESS equipment last year, up from a respective 32% and 12% in 2019.
Protected urea accounted for two-fifths of all chemical nitrogen applied on dairy farms in 2024, up by over a factor of 10 on the 3% it represented five years previous.
Cattle and sheep farms still reported lower levels of protected urea usage last year, as the fertiliser type accounted for the source of just 14% of cattle farms’ chemical nitrogen and 9% for sheep farms.
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Title: Nitrogen balances worsen across all sectors
Nitrogen surpluses on farms increased last year due to a rise in the level of chemical nitrogen spread without any major increase in output to balance it out.
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A jump in chemical fertiliser use last year saw the nitrogen balance of the average dairy, beef, sheep and tillage farm worsen, Teagasc’s sustainability report for 2024 signalled.
The difference between nitrogen spread or imported through feed on dairy farms and that which left the farmgate, such as in milk or sold livestock, reached 165kg N/ha.
The average for other sectors ranged from 55kg N/ha for cattle farms and 34kg N/ha for tillage farms.
The increase in fertiliser use did not hamper efforts to reduce ammonia emissions on farms, as declines were reported across all sectors.
Some 85% of slurry on the average dairy farm and 45% of the slurry on the average cattle farm was applied with LESS equipment last year, up from a respective 32% and 12% in 2019.
Protected urea accounted for two-fifths of all chemical nitrogen applied on dairy farms in 2024, up by over a factor of 10 on the 3% it represented five years previous.
Cattle and sheep farms still reported lower levels of protected urea usage last year, as the fertiliser type accounted for the source of just 14% of cattle farms’ chemical nitrogen and 9% for sheep farms.
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