72. Fertilisers: challenges and opportunities in European farming

The cost of living has been a hot topic in politics for some time now, as has the financial cost of farming — and that’s undoubtedly because of the direct link between the two. One of the most unpredictable factors in agriculture is, of course, the weather. But in a period of global instability, conflict and supply chain disruptions, many farmers are now being hit by steep increases in the cost of inputs — fuel, for example, but especially fertiliser. Fertiliser is central to Europe’s food production and food security, and most of it is industrially manufactured. Because of that, farmers are often left with hard choices: use less of it, and have less produce to sell on the market, but use more of it, and pass on the costs to consumers — driving up the cost of living even more. In this 72nd episode of Food for Europe, we look at fertiliser through the lens of the challenges facing farmers, and the emergency measures being proposed to alleviate some of the stress our agriculture sector is facing. We visit County Clare in the west of Ireland to hear from farmers Declan O’Dwyer and Fergal Smith about their perspectives on the squeeze on incomes that the fertiliser price increase has produced. We talk to Jessica Fitch, secretary-general of ECOFI, the European Consortium of the Organic-Based Fertilisers Industry, about the alternatives to industrial fertilisers. And we hear from Ionuţ Balaban from the European Commission’s directorate-general for agriculture and rural development about the steps being taken to respond to the difficulties farmers are facing.