Fertiliser prices have started to level off following steady increases at merchant level since the start of the year.

Urea was costing Irish farmers around €470/t in January, rising to €545/t in March and is now sitting between €565/t and €570/t as May begins.

“There’s been no real change to prices since the start of April and there’s no talk of it to rise anytime soon,” a sales rep in the north Tipperary area told the Irish Farmers Journal this week.

Farmers are this week being quoted between €435/t to €450/t for CAN, between €545/t and €550/t for cut sward and a range of €535 to €545 for pasture sward.

These prices are including delivery.

Protected urea is costing between €605/t and €615/t, delivered.