Horticulture input costs rise 76.2% since 2020
The Horticulture Crop Input Prices 2026 report also found that the cost of producing horticultural crops in Ireland rose on average by 3.9% between January 2025 and January 2026.
Production costs have risen more than 70% for horticultural growers in the last six years.
The Horticulture Crop Input Prices 2026 report published by Teagasc highlighted the long-term inflation since 2020, with recent volatility in energy, packaging, fertiliser and transportation costs since March 2026.
The report also found that the cost of producing horticultural crops in Ireland rose on average by 3.9% between January 2025 and January 2026. Inflation during this period varied based on the subsector.
The ‘top fruit’ sector, such as apples and nursery stock, increased by 7.5%, soft fruits by 5.5%, vegetables by 4.7%, protected salad crops by 4.5%, and mushrooms by 1.8% while high-wire crops like tomatoes or other vine crops, showed a net increase of 5.3% when March gas price increases are included.
Labour is the single largest input now representing approximately 43.4% of total production costs and has increased by 3.9 percentage points since 2020. Wage, employer PRSI and pension changes mean effective labour costs grew roughly 6.2% in the reporting period.
Fertiliser costs have averaged a 10.1% increase between January 2025 and 2026, with some speciality products, such as controlled-release fertilisers used in container productions, reporting up to a 27% increase. Teagasc has also reported that growing media, plant and seed costs are also going up.
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Average daily gas prices rose 54% from January to early March 2026, sharply raising costs for heated protected production (high-wire glasshouse crops) and altering sector outlooks.
High wire crops flip from a January 2025 to January 2026 deflation of 4.3% to an approximate increase of 5.3% when early March gas rises are applied. Continuing high natural gas costs through March, April and May are significantly impacting grower profitability in the high wire crop sector.
Heavy autumn and winter rainfall from October 2025 to February 2026 increased harvesting, washing and packaging costs for winter root and brassica crops and affected crop quality.
Acting head of Teagasc Horticulture Development Department, Michael Gaffney, said: “The publication of our 2026 Horticulture Input Price report indicates continuing increases in the cost of producing horticultural products. Since 2020, there has been considerable input price inflation in the horticultural sector due to a series of geopolitical and climate-related events.
"In order to stabilise input costs, particularly around labour, investment in automation and labour-saving technologies is required where available. These investments will be significant, and growers require prices that reflect the cost of production and the cost of investments required, as well as long-term collaborations to help de-risk these investments.
“In addition to the rise in input cost inflation reported, it must be highlighted that since March 2026, significant further inflation in input costs is occurring and will need to be considered in addition to the input prices outlined in the report and shared equitably across the food supply chain to avoid further erosion of the domestic grower base.”
