Price lists for fertiliser at local merchants have been cut in a bid to get product moving out of yards.

Quotes for CAN start from £330/t this week, although there is a significant range in prices with some suppliers remaining as high as £350/t.

Similarly, there is almost a £20/t variation in the price of compound fertiliser across local merchants. For example, current prices for 27-4-4 range from £398/t to £415/t.

Until now, fertiliser prices had been relatively slow to ease back from the spring peak when quotes for CAN ran to £365/t.

However, local fertiliser suppliers are now keen to move product which was bought earlier in the year. The concern among some merchants is that they could get caught with expensive fertiliser if prices fall further.

That said, merchants who have limited stocks in yards and have been buying product in relatively small amounts, tend to be most competitive with price at present. A key driver in the market is the price of natural gas, which is a major input for fertiliser production. Natural gas hit a high in mid-February and most international markets currently remain 35% lower than the spring peak.