Department to probe 'out of tolerance' fertiliser tests
The department also takes samples of fertiliser products placed on the market to verify compliance with Irish and EU legislation on labelling of products and minimum nutrient requirements.
Investigations are ongoing after inspections by the Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine revealed deficiencies in 4.3% of protected urea fertilisers and in 1.8% of fertilisers generally.
In Dáil Eireann recently, agriculture minister Martin Heydon said his department carries out sampling and analysis on fertilising products to ensure that they are in compliance with EU and domestic legislation.
Testing of protected urea is carried out using high-performance liquid chromatography for the determination of the content of urease inhibitors N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric acid triamide (NBPT) and N-(n-propyl)thiophosphoric acid triamide (NPPT) in urea-based fertilisers.
Of the 23 protected urea samples tested to date in 2025, one sample (4.3% of those tested) was provisionally found to be "out of tolerance", and was being investigated.
The department also takes samples of fertiliser products placed on the market to verify compliance with Irish and EU legislation on labelling of products and minimum nutrient requirements. They are tested for a range of parameters specified in legislation, including nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, said the minister.
He said that, to date in 2025, some 162 fertiliser samples had been taken. Of these, three (1.8%) have been provisionally found to be out of tolerance and an investigation was ongoing in respect of each case.
The minister was responding to questions from Tipperary North Fianna Fáil TD Ryan O'Meara, who also asked him about animal feed quality testing.
Mr Heydon said the focus of feed legislation is to ensure that feeding stuffs do not endanger food safety, do not pose a risk to animal health or the environment, meet the minimum standards prescribed, are accurately labelled, and are fully traceable.
He said feeding stuffs controls are implemented through inspections and sampling at all stages of the feed chain, including importation, storage, manufacture, transport, and use at farm level.
He said: "In 2025, to date, 1,031 samples were taken to verify compliance with relevant legislation, and circa 10,000 individual tests were carried out on these samples, for various compositional and contaminant analysis, for example, protein and ash content, undesirable substances, etc.
"Out of these circa 10,000 tests performed, 50 out of tolerances were detected (0.005%), and my department has proactively followed up on these out of tolerances with the companies concerned".
