Tillage farmers are already looking to 2023 with deep concern around fertiliser prices, Bobby Miller of the Irish Grain Growers Group has said.

He told the Irish Farmers Journal that nitrogen is being priced at €800/t to €850/t for 2023.

“We need grain prices to stay strong. We are concerned. Compound fertiliser is priced in the mid-€900s or higher for 2023. On P and K, like 0-7-30, farmers are not looking for it at present because of the price of it and fertiliser companies won’t do business unless it’s a guaranteed sale.

“Where will grain prices be next year? If you’re buying fertiliser at those prices you would almost certainly have to forward-sell grain for 2023 to reduce the risk to your farm operation,” he said.

The most recent national fodder and feed security committee meeting was told that there is no P and K in the country at present for the autumn and there is nervousness in the sector about planting winter crops due to the fertiliser uncertainty.

On the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Miller said that the group accepts the fact that grain already purchased received a derogation, but it wants to know that every effort will be made to avoid importing grain from Russia at the moment.

“Both Departments, agriculture and enterprise, need to make every effort to ensure that we do not do business with Russia as a result of the illegal invasion of Ukraine. We import from up to 60 other countries but obviously the first choice should be Irish grain.

“It just makes the case that we should be increasing the Irish tillage area, not just from a war point of view but from a climate target point of view.

“Every acre converted to tillage will help that target as far as we’re concerned because practically every tillage farm is very close to being carbon-neutral as they are,” he said.

Tillage Incentive Scheme

On the Tillage Incentive Scheme, Miller said it must be noted that a tillage farmer with only tillage ground has received no support from the Department of Agriculture yet.

“Every other sector has had funding made available,” Miller said.

“Tillage only farmers don’t have grassland to avail of the scheme. If it’s to be available going forward, changes to the scheme will have to be made to make it workable,” he said.