Fertiliser surge heaps more pressure on farmers
DUP Deputy Leader Michelle McIlveen MLA has said the dramatic rise in fertiliser prices is a serious concern for Northern Ireland farmers already battling relentless cost pressures.
Michelle McIlveen said: “The speed and scale of these fertiliser price increases will send a shiver through the farming community. CAN is an essential input for many farm businesses, and when its price rises so sharply in such a short space of time, that creates real difficulty for planning and cashflow.
"At the beginning of the year, CAN was trading at around £320 per tonne. Reports now suggest on-farm prices have climbed to around £440 per tonne, with sulphur products even higher. That is an extraordinary jump and one which many farmers will struggle to absorb.
"This is yet another reminder of how vulnerable agriculture remains to international events and market shocks well beyond the control of local producers.
"Our farmers are already facing intense pressure from a range of rising costs. They cannot be expected to keep taking hit after hit without consequences for farm viability, food production and the wider rural economy.”