Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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178. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department plans to monitor fertiliser prices in 2023 to ensure that Irish farmers are paying a fair price; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61116/22]

Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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179. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department has examined or made any projections in respect of whether there will be sufficient fertiliser supplies in 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61117/22]

Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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180. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department has monitored and carried out price comparisons on fertiliser between Ireland, other EU countries and the UK; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61118/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 178, 179 and 180 together.

Ireland is a relatively small market in respect of fertiliser sales and their usage compared to many of our EU neighbours.

As a result, Irish fertiliser companies are price-takers that are dependent on global fertiliser supply and demand, the cost of fertiliser production, increased transport costs and EU-imposed tariffs and duties on certain Third Country imports and currency exchange rates. 

This has led to the significant rise in fertiliser prices that farmers are having to currently endure. Over the course of the past year, I announced a series of targeted interventions to support farmers in response to the challenges being faced.

Eurostat publish data on an annual basis on the farmgate price for 22 fertiliser types across Member States. By way of example, the data for ammonium nitrate (26%) shows that prices paid in Ireland are in the mid-range when compared to other Member States. 

In addition, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) monitor trends in prices paid by Irish farmers for purchases of goods and services including fertilisers on a monthly basis.  Both Eurostat and CSO data is publically available. 

Fertiliser supplies remain tight but usage is expected to be lower in response to higher prices, with industry indicating that trade in fertilisers has slowed considerably as the future trading environment remains very uncertain.

My Department continues to actively engage with the fertiliser industry as well as farmers on this issue. I have raised concerns regarding price and availability of fertiliser with my European counterparts and the EU Commission and have asked that the situation is monitored closely.

Ultimately, it is up to each individual farmer to decide the amount of fertiliser that they want to use on their farm and the price that they are willing to pay for it, but I fully appreciate the challenges facing farmers on fertiliser next year.