Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has confirmed that Ireland’s new National Fertiliser Database will include all nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potash (K) sales.
DAFM spokesperson Finbarr O’Regan noted on a Tillage Edge podcast that details of all N, P and K fertilizers coming into the country will be supplied by importers and the country’s dealership network.
“The database will also cover lime and associated products,” he stated. “From a climate change perspective, we will also have information on the use of inhibitors. Protected urea will be the key product in this context.”
According to the DAFM, products coming across the border will be captured in merchants’ subsequent sales records to end users. There is also a facility on the new database that farmers bringing fertilizer in directly from Northern Ireland can enter this on to the system as well.
“Most of the work will be carried out by retailers. Whoever is selling to farmers must upload their sales data onto the system,” said O’Regan. “The bulk of the work will be done at that level. There will be a facility, linked to DAFM, that will make the transition of information easier.
O’Regan confirmed the new database will provide a comprehensive tracking mechanism of every unit of fertilizer brought into the country. “Initially, we are looking at sales to farmers. We already have a system, whereby the importers provide DAFM with their data. There are also CSO [Central Statistics Office] figures. However, all of this is a bit disjointed. Longer term we want to get all of this information included within the fertilizer database.”
“And the new legislation will account for this” added O’Regan. In the longer term all fertilizer importers will have to upload all of their relevant data. This will mean that all the relevant information will be available from the one source.”
The aim of DAFM is to have all data accessed by the end of next year.
Find out more about CRFs in New AG International’s e-books on Slow- Controlled-Release and Stabilized Fertilizers, here and here.