‘Complete confusion' remains on farm fertiliser allowances

Agriland

16-05-2025

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has been called on to provide more clarity to farmers on the amount of chemical fertiliser they are allowed to spread and the amount of slurry, if any, they are allowed to import.
The calls come as the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers' Association (ICSA) president Sean McNamara has said there remains 'complete confusion amongst many farmers' relating to the amount of chemical fertiliser they are allowed to apply and the amount of slurry they are allowed to import.
The ICSA president said that while the DAFM does inform farmers of their nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) statements, there remains a significant level of confusion amongst farmers on the ground.
He said: 'DAFM should be making it clear to farmers every month what fertiliser farmers can or can't spread.'
'There's nothing simple any more about it. It needs to be simplified and made more straightforward so that farmers can easily understand it.'
McNamara said that many farmers have 'no confidence' in buying fertiliser to spread on their land because many are unsure what they can or can not spread as they are unaware of their farms' chemical N or P allowances.
He said: 'A lot of farmers are opting not to buy fertiliser because they don't know what they can spread and don't want to be caught in the wrong.
'It is very difficult for an ordinary suckler or beef farmer or part-time farmer to work out what they can spread.
Agri-advisers have also told Agriland that working out the N and P allowances for farmers can be challenging and takes time.
Advisers recommend farmers to have Nutrient Management Plans (NMPs) for their farm detailing fertiliser-spreading plans for the year and slurry management plans.
However, advisers acknowledged that this comes at a cost to farmers and that many private agri-advisers do not have sufficient time to do up these plans for farmers.
Another agri-adviser told Agriland: 'There is a myriad of detail to be taken into account to calculate how much fertiliser a farmer can spread.
'For their N allowance, we need to know their stocking rate and the amount of ground they have in the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES), and for P allowances, we need to know their soil sample results, amount of meal fed, and a list of other details.
'It's very complicated stuff and the rules and N values for livestock and N allowances for lower-stocked farms have changed this year, making it more tricky for some farmers.'
This sentiment has also been echoed by the Irish Farmers' Association's (IFA's) livestock committee chairperson Declan Hanrahan, who told Agriland: 'The demands being put on small-scale and extensive farms in relation to fertiliser and meal usage are complex and proving difficult to access.
'These obligations should never have been applied to these lower-stocked, extensive farms and must be simplified.'
Hanrahan also added that the IFA had previously highlighted that the requirements for small-scale and lower-stocked farms to use low emission slurry spreading (LESS) equipment is 'not viable or necessary'.
Hanrahan said: 'DAFM would have sent out through text that farmers can go online to check their allowance on the nitrogen per hectare, and they would have sent out another text message in relation to feeding of the 14% protein concentrates between April and September.'
The maximum crude protein content allowed in concentrates fed to cattle aged two years and over at grass between April 15 and September 30 has been reduced from 15% to 14%. This requirement now applies to all farmers.
The IFA Livestock Committee chair said that farmers are going through their advisor to identify the exact amounts of N and P they are allowed to spread, which he said 'is another cost onto the farmers'.
Stay tuned to Agriland over the weekend for technical advice on assisting farmers in calculating their stocking rate and advice to assist farmers in identifying the maximum N and P allowances on their farms.