Suppliers have said that despite the rise in fertiliser deliveries, much of the movement is of stocks that had been bought at lower prices earlier in the year. One supplier noted that they had sold six to seven times more fertiliser than normal at the start of the year with the lower prices. With bad weather setting in, however, farmers chose not to collect these stocks for use until now.

Average prices quoted to the Irish Farmers Journal show urea is trading at €370/t and CAN is trading at €260/t. Prices can be knocked down €10/t to €15/t for larger volumes and on-the-day payments.

Demand for compound fertiliser has kicked in and prices for 18:6:12 are increasing to €355/t and Cut Sward is trading at €365/t, on average.

The increased demand has led to low supplies, with some farmers having to wait up to 10 days to collect new stock.