All of the zones may now be open for chemical fertiliser spreading, however you will not see much of it going out.

With such a wet start to the year, getting early fertiliser out seems like an impossible task, but farmers should still be planning ahead for when they can get it out.

Farmers need to know their fertiliser allowances in terms of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) so they can put a plan in place.

Farmers in derogation will already know their allowances as they are required to draw up a nutrient management plan.

However, farmers not in derogation who do not have fertiliser plans in place may not get the most efficient use of their fertiliser, and may spread less in fear of regulation breeches.

When less fertiliser is applied, it may have a serious impact on grass growth and, as a result, animal performances throughout the year.

Fertiliser allowances

Fertiliser prices began dropping slightly last year after the dramatic hike in 2021/2022.

However, now that the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) is in place, prices are on the rise again.

A tonne of protected urea has gone from approximately €545 to €600 over the last month alone.

Therefore reducing wastage through fertiliser plans is crucial in a bid to cut costs, especially considering how milk prices have bottomed out.

When designing a fertiliser plan for the farm, ensure the first thing you do is take your soil samples to prevent your land from being automatically classed as index 4 and losing your P allowance.

If this does happen you will not be able to use P compound fertilisers, such as 18-6-12, 10-10-20, or 24-2.5-10. 

As well as soil indexes, farmers need to know their concentrate feed usage, which may bring their allowance up or down on the farm.

To find out the maximum permitted N fertiliser allowance, farmers must know their stocking rate.

A farm stocking rate is calculated as the total annual N/kg excreted by grazing livestock averaged over the net grassland area (grazing and silage area).

It is always advisable for farms to contact their agri-adviser to ensure they are within their allowances for fertiliser spreading.

In some cases, application allowances will vary based on farm-specific circumstances.

The updated annual maximum chemical nitrogen (N) allowances for grassland as of February 21, 2026 are as follows:

The current annual maximum fertilisation rates of phosphorous (P) on grassland - by soil phosphorus index number - is as follows (soil with 20% or more organic matter is limited to the index 3 rate):

The P content of your feedstuff will also have to be deducted from the amount of P you are allowed for every hectare.

P content is as provided by the feed supplier in the case of compound feeding stuffs, standard P value in the case of straight feeding stuffs, or default P concentration of 0.5 kg P for each 100kg fed.

So if you fed 1,000kg of concentrates/cow, it means that 5kg/cow of P will have to be deducted from your P allowance already calculated.

Shopping list

Once farmers know their allowances, it will be time to draw up a shopping list.

Many farmers may have fertiliser sitting in the yard already, but for those who do not, they should be buying fertilisers that will deliver the best value for money.

This spring, farmers will get the best value for money out of a stable form of N such as protected urea rather than a nitrate-based N, such as CAN.

Farmers also need to choose their fertiliser blends carefully to match their soil fertility reports.

One thing a lot of farmers forget to put on the shopping list is sulphur (S), however by spreading a bit of this, you will actaully improve the efficiency and uptake of your nitrogen.

Teagasc have provided the following sample shopping list to show how much money can actually be saved when choosing fertiliser:

This is a significant saving to be made in a year where margins are becoming increasingly tight.