Mr. Vincent Roddy:

I thank Deputy Fitzmaurice. There were some good questions. Some have been covered, especially about the problem with the supply of fertiliser, Russia and so on. I can add specifics. The Deputy asked if prices were inflated or if someone has taken a massive hit. It is our view that farmers have continuously taken the hit. In 2023, that is definitely the case. If there is a hit, maybe we need to look at an investigation into this. I am not saying the committee itself would be in a position to do that but we should look at the Competition Authority or something like that or, as the Deputy said, the Minister can drive that investigation.

Regarding fertiliser coming from Northern Ireland and elsewhere, the Deputy is right that there is an issue, as Mr. Keane alluded to, with the labelling. It is compliant with labelling requirements in the country of origin but our understanding is that there are issues with phosphorous and potassium, P and K. The nitrogen is as is but, as I understand it, we are looking at lower P and K than we would see here. For 18-6-12, the 18 would be okay but the six and 12 would be lower. That is clearly something that farmers need to consider when they are buying. Fertiliser coming from Northern Ireland is required to be registered on the database. As long as it is not a deterrent to the farmers and those who are bringing it in, it is not an issue. If farmers have forgotten for some reason, one would hope there would not be a hard hit for those farmers. Maybe a yellow card or warning might be more appropriate than coming down hard.

There is a general point about fertiliser. One cannot underestimate this talk and how genuine it was. I am sure on some levels it was genuine. On other levels, there was talk about that fear of supply, which has driven prices and panic. As we outlined in our document, farmers at this stage would be more inclined to not buy fertiliser and to take a chance on it coming down than to buy fertiliser that is still expensive. Our concern is that there would be problems with a fodder shortage next winter. Let us hope not but the time and season is getting tighter at this stage.

Senator Boyhan asked about the overall fertiliser register earlier. Our understanding is that there is a measure in the new eco-scheme. The fertiliser register will be required under that. I am not saying we are happy about that but that I definitely think that will be a requirement. My colleague, Mr. Tomás O'Toole, from Galway might have a comment on that.