Phosphate: the world’s most under-appreciated resource

Ireland, like most of Europe, has no significant phosphate rock reserves. Every kilogram of phosphorus used on Irish farms is imported, primarily as processed fertiliser derived from mined rock abroad. That dependence makes Ireland (and the EU) strategically vulnerable

According to the latest EPA reports, levels of phosphorus are too high in 27% of rivers, and 32% of lakes. Legacy phosphorus stored in soils continues to leak into waterways. More P fertiliser is still applied to Irish soils each year, despite many fields already holding surplus phosphorus from decades of application

Few people think about phosphate, yet it underpins everything we eat. Without it, crops wouldn’t grow, grass wouldn’t thrive, and food production would grind to a halt. Phosphate is the invisible ingredient behind global food security, and one that’s in short supply, both literally and geopolitically.

A rock (and a little poop) that feeds the world