Sales of nitrogen fertiliser from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023 declined by 55.89%, according to Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine figures.

A total of 347,275t of nitrogen fertiliser was sold in either a straight or compound product in this period, compared to 787,275t in 2021-22 and 903,013t in 2020-21. Fertilisers containing phosphorus and potassium are back almost 46% each, while total fertiliser sales from October to March are down by 52%.

It is important to note that March was a month of rain and the figures do not include April, when weather picked up. However, the figures are worrying, with fodder stocks low in parts of the east and south of the country.