Noel Bardon

The agfood.ie facility for farmers to apply for a 2024 nitrates derogation is now live, Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue has announced. The Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) portal for farmers to declare their herd’s nitrates band for the coming year has also been opened for dairy farmers who chose not allow their co-op to directly report cow yields to the Department of Agriculture. Those who do not submit a band will be automatically assigned to the highest band.

The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA) has called for an extension to the end of March spreading deadline under the national liming programme, as ground conditions remain poor in most areas. The association’s deputy president Eamon Carroll has warned that enforcing the 31 March deadline could lead to land being damaged by machinery, as conditions have failed to improve since autumn.

The latest Central Statistics Office (CSO) report on its agricultural input price index shows a 26% reduction in the year up to January 2024. The largest price reduction in key farm inputs was witnessed in fertilisers, which fell by 47% year on year. Most of the reduction in fertiliser costs over the past 12 months was seen between January and May 2023, after which costs remained largely static, according to the CSO’s figures.