Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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1804. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures being taken to offset rising input costs of fertiliser, feed and energy that are contributing directly to higher grocery prices; and if EU tariffs on Russian fertiliser will be mitigated to protect Irish consumers. [46827/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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As Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, I have no role in determining or intervening in prices for agri-food commodities at farm gate or retail level; market prices are a commercial matter between suppliers and buyers. My Department, however, will continue to monitor trends in agricultural inputs and outputs. We also continue to support farmers and the agri-food sector through the €9.8 billion CAP Strategic Plan and other specific supports.

The Central Statistics Office (CSO) release, "Output, Input and Income in Agriculture -  Final Estimate 2024", shows that the value of most agricultural outputs increased in 2024, while the value of agricultural inputs fell. Intermediate consumption – which includes fertiliser, feeding stuffs and energy costs – decreased by four percent (-€290million) to €7.7 billion in 2024.

Expenditure on fertilisers fell by 26% (-€216 million), primarily due to a 29% decline in prices. Expenditure on feeding stuffs reduced by seven percent (-€148 million), with a 13% decline in prices.  Expenditure on energy and lubricants fell by five percent (-€30 million) million, with a 6% reduction in prices.

These estimates indicate that trading conditions for farmers have improved following input and output price volatility in recent years. From late 2020 input prices and output prices began to grow significantly. By early 2022, input prices were consistently growing faster than output prices. This trend has reversed since early 2024, with input prices stabilising and output prices increasing. While slowing inflation for key inputs and normalising supply chains have helped to reduce input prices relative to their peak in 2022, input prices currently remain at an elevated level compared to pre-2021 levels.

Positively, the reduction in input costs observed from 2024 has continued into 2025 as evidenced by the CSO's "Agricultural Price Indices" which track monthly and annual changes in prices. In the 12 months to June 2025, the Agricultural Output Price Index increased by 18.9%, while the Agricultural Input Price Index rose by 0.5% in the same period. Input prices for fertilisers rose by 10.5%, while feeding stuffs prices fell by 1.6% and energy prices fell by 3.9%.

Regarding EU tariffs on fertiliser, Russian and Belarusian fertiliser is no longer sourced by Irish fertiliser importers. Ireland has supported the European Commission’s measure to impose tariffs on a number of agricultural products from Russia and Belarus, including certain nitrogen-based fertilisers, which was adopted earlier this year.