More than 5,000 still unregistered for fertiliser database

“A second rule came in that if you had any tillage land, regardless of your stocking rate, that was not allowed chemical P. That’s a big one to get our heads around, considering that there was often 10-10-20 or those types of fertilisers used on your spring barley crops going into the ground.

“It’s important to know how much you can buy, what type of fertiliser you can buy, and that your co-op is happy to give you that."

But farmers are poorly prepared for the new fertiliser limits. Mr Hyde revealed that 5,000 to 6,000 farmers still haven’t registered for the fertiliser national database which was introduced in 2023.

Only a limited number of farmers are drawing up annual fertiliser plans, although Mr Hyde said that "there’s been a requirement for every farmer to have a fertiliser plan since 2006 since nitrates came in."

The fertiliser database records fertiliser purchased and sold in Ireland. “Movement from farm to farm is also being recorded," Mr Hyde said. 

“Even if you’re not using any fertiliser, you’re still supposed to have registered for the database.

“In September of last year, farmers had to declare their closing stocks."

The database is part of the nitrate regulations for protecting waters from pollution caused by nitrogen and phosphorus from agricultural sources. These regulations apply to every farmer in the country. 

“I think there’s probably a misconception out there that it was only derogation farmers that are caught up in all this. It’s not," Ciaran Lynch said.

Mr Hyde recommended that farmers put in place a fertiliser plan for 2024, so that they can confidently purchase up to their maximum allowable amount of fertiliser. 

“Some of the co-ops are, I think, a bit nervous about selling fertiliser to farmers over the counter because they don’t want to sell them the wrong type of fertiliser," he said.

“Working out how much fertiliser you’re allowed is very easy if you have soil samples." 

With a soil test and a fertiliser plan, the farmer can prove they have a soil requirement for particular nutrients.

“A fertiliser plan isn’t that simple. You have to take into account the meal you fed last year, and your grassland stocking rate last year," Mr Hyde continued. 

“Having valid soil samples in place for the year is very important. Have enough soil samples to cover the area in which you’re spreading fertiliser, and get a fertiliser plan done by an advisor or whoever may do it for the farmer, so that you can say ‘yes, these are the real limits that are allowed on the farm for the year’."

For a fertiliser plan, use the number of hectares on the BISS form, and what will be grown in each field. The grassland stocking rate is calculated as the total annual nitrogen (kg) excreted by grazing livestock averaged over the net grassland area (grazing and silage area). 

“Your grassland stocking rate last year defines what fertiliser you’re allowed on your grassland this year," Mr Hyde said.

“It’s easier for a bovine or cattle farmer to work out their stocking rate, because there is a Department system there that tracks the cattle movements on a farm. In the AgFood system, there is an N and P statement where they can get their bovine figures for last year. 

"It will tell you what your total N produced on the farm from bovines was and how many hectares you had. Let’s say the N and P statement says that the bovines produced 10,000kg of N and you have 100 hectares, that’s 100kg of N per hectare, and then we’ve the tables to work off."