Ireland warns farmers face stark challenges as costs surge ahead of EU meeting
Ireland’s junior agriculture minister Timmy Dooley has warned that soaring fuel and fertiliser costs are placing significant pressure on farmers ahead of an EU ministers’ meeting.
Fertiliser costs remain about 60% higher than in 2020, significantly impacting farmers’ financial stability and competitiveness across major European agricultural nations.
“The outlook for farmers is stark,” said Timmy Dooley, urging flexibility on EU climate rules amid soaring costs and pressure on the sector.
Key developments
Ireland’s junior agriculture minister Timmy Dooley warned of a “stark” outlook for farmers due to escalating fuel and fertiliser costs ahead of an EU ministers’ meeting in Brussels.
The EU aims to ban fertilisers from Belarus and Russia by July 2025, prompting France to advocate for an urgent suspension of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism on fertilisers, potentially retroactive to January 2026.
Ireland calls for carbon border tweaks amid fertiliser shortage in EU News interview
Ireland’s junior agriculture minister Timmy Dooley has warned the outlook for farmers is “stark”, as soaring fuel and fertiliser costs pile pressure on the sector ahead of an EU ministers’ meeting in Brussels.
He urged flexibility on EU climate rules, including exempting fertilisers from the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which makes importers pay for production-related emissions.
This comes after the EU moved to ban fertilisers from Belarus and Russia in July 2025.
France is pushing for urgent relief, including a temporary suspension of CBAM on fertilisers and ammonia, potentially backdated to 1 January 2026.
Meanwhile, MEPs from across the political spectrum — from the European People’s Party to Patriots for Europe — are calling for an assessment of the Hormuz tensions on supply, prices and possible shortages.
EU trade chief Maroš Šefčovič said fertiliser prices are still about 60% higher than in 2020, putting “considerable strain” on farmers and hurting competitiveness.
Ireland, France and Italy — all major farming nations — have also opposed trade deals they fear could undercut their producers.
The European Commission plans to provisionally apply the Mercosur trade deal from 1 May, covering Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay — but Ireland remains against it.
Dooley said Dublin cannot support the deal over concerns on standards and environmental protections, though he welcomed a recent EU-Australia agreement.
“There are real opportunities for Ireland — in agri-food and beyond,” he said.
Watch the full interview on Europe Today at 8am CET from Monday to Friday, live on EU News and across all platforms.