Your feedback can help us improve and enhance our services to the public. Tell us what matters to you in our online Customer Satisfaction Survey.
The nitrogen (N) content of fertilisers sold in 2024 was 11% higher than in 2023 at 310,411 tonnes (See Figure 1 and Table 1).
The phosphorus (P) content of fertilisers sold in 2024 was down 7% on 2023 at 28,736 tonnes (See Figure 1 and Table 1).
Total fertiliser sales rose by 8% in 2024 to 1.2 million tonnes, after falling by 18% in each of the previous two years (See Figure 2 and Table 2).
In the 2023/2024 crop year, 50% of fertiliser sales took place in the three months from April to June 2024, with only 1% of sales occurring in the quarter from October to December 2023 (See Figure 3 and Table 3).
Lime sales were 1.0 million tonnes in 2024, remaining steady when compared with 2023 (See Figure 4 and Table 4).
The nitrogen content of fertilisers sold in Ireland was 407,598 tonnes in 2000. While it fell to in 295,795 tonnes in 2011, it rose again to 408,495 tonnes in 2018. In 2023 there were 280,569 tonnes of nitrogen in fertilisers sold in Ireland, a decrease of 18% on 2022 and the lowest level of the period 2000-2024. An 11% increase in 2024 brought the nitrogen content of fertilisers sold that year to 310,411 tonnes. This was the sixth-lowest level between 2000 and 2024.
Phosphorus content was at its highest level of the period 2000-2024 in 2000 at 49,267 tonnes and was lowest in 2009 at 20,231 tonnes. In 2023 there were 30,762 tonnes of phosphorus in fertilisers sold in Ireland, a fall of 10% compared with 2022. A further 7% drop in 2024 meant the phosphorus content of fertilisers sold was 28,736, also the sixth-lowest level of the period.
There were 88,058 tonnes of potassium in fertilisers sold in Ireland in 2024 (See Figure 1 and Table 1).
Fertiliser sales in Ireland were just over 1.7 million tonnes in 2000, the highest of the period 2000-2024. They fell to 1.2 million tonnes in 2009 before reaching 1.7 million tonnes again in 2018 and in 2021. This was followed by an 18% decrease to 1.4 million tonnes in 2022 and a further 18% reduction to 1.1 million tonnes in 2023, the lowest level between 2000 and 2024. An 8% increase in 2024 had fertiliser sales at 1.2 million tonnes. This was the fourth-lowest level of the period (See Figure 2 and Table 2). The reductions in fertiliser sales in 2022 and 2023 may have been related to higher fertiliser prices relative to previous years.
Data on total fertiliser sales and the nutrient content of fertiliser sales are presented for the crop year rather than the calendar year. The crop year runs from the beginning of October each year until the end of September the following year. In the crop year from 1st October 2023 to 30th September 2024, just 1% of fertiliser sales took place between October and December, 26% of sales took place between January and March, 50% were in April to June and 22% of fertiliser sales occurred between July and September (See Figure 3). The quarterly sales profile in 2023 and 2024 differed to the previous four years, when the largest percentage of fertiliser sales took place between January and March (See Table 3).
Lime is a soil conditioner which is used to regulate the acidity of soil. Applying lime to soil leads to carbon dioxide emissions due to the carbon content of the lime. However, as soil acidity is a factor in fertiliser efficiency, applying lime to soil can reduce requirements for nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilisers. This can result in a reduction in pollution, including a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions arising from nitrogen-containing fertilisers. Lime sales were at their highest of the period 2000-2024 in 2022 at 1.4 million tonnes. This was an increase of 4% on 2021, which in turn had shown an increase of 50% on 2020. In 2023 lime sales fell 27% to 1.0 million tonnes. They remained at 1.0 million tonnes in 2024 (See Figure 4 and Table 4).
Learn about our data and confidentiality safeguards, and the steps we take to produce statistics that can be trusted by all.
Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (02 April 2025) published Fertiliser Sales 2024.
Commenting on the release, Clare O'Hara, Statistician in the Environment Division, said: "This release contains data on fertiliser sales and their nutrient content from 2000 to 2024. Fertilisers are added to soil to provide crops with nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. These nutrients enhance crop production but can also be lost from agricultural soil to groundwater, surface water, and air, contributing to environmental pollution.
In 2024, total fertiliser sales rose by 8% to 1.2 million tonnes. This followed decreases of 18% in each of the previous two years. Nitrogen content was up 11% in 2024 at 310,411 tonnes, while phosphorus content fell by 7% to 28,736 tonnes. Lime sales were 1.0 million tonnes in 2024, remaining steady when compared with 2023.
Quarterly sales data can give an indication of the time of year of greatest fertiliser use. For each year from 2015 to 2024, at least 75% of fertiliser sales took place between January and June, with less than 10% occurring between October and December. In 2023 and 2024, 50% of fertiliser sales were in April to June while around a quarter were in January to March. Loss of nutrients to the environment is affected by the amount of rainfall at the time of fertiliser application."