Farmers have until tomorrow, Thursday, October 15, to file their annual closing stock declaration with the National Fertiliser Database (NFD) — and the figure they declare will directly shape payments under the new €46.2 million fertiliser aid scheme.

It's a legal requirement. Every professional fertiliser user, including farmers, must submit a declaration each year. Even farms holding no fertiliser at all must file a 'nil' declaration.

What counts as closing stock?

Closing stocks are defined as any fertiliser on hand at 11:59p.m. — one minute before midnight — on September 14 each year. The online facility for declaring 2026 closing stocks opened on September 15, giving farmers a one-month window that closes tomorrow.

Where fertiliser remains on farm at year end, the declaration must specify the type of fertiliser and the quantity of each product held.

How does the process work?

The Department describes the declaration system as "quick and easy". A step-by-step guide is available on the department's National Fertiliser Database webpage.

Farmers — or their agents — file declarations through the MyAgFood portal.

The Department also encourages farmers to check their fertiliser transaction records on MyAgFood and confirm the information recorded against their farms is accurate and up to date.

Sales data on the NFD is recorded by fertiliser merchants, formally known as fertiliser economic operators. Those operators carry responsibility for the accuracy of customer data on the database.

Farmers with queries about purchases should raise them with their merchant directly in the first instance.

Why the declaration matters for payments

The National Fertiliser Database will be used to determine payments under the new fertiliser scheme announced on Tuesday, October 13.

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon confirmed a €46.2 million funding package to support farmers facing fertiliser cost spikes caused by the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.

The scheme pays €40/t.

The funding breaks down into two parts: Ireland's €15.38 million allocation from the EU Fertiliser Exceptional Aid package, plus the maximum allowable national top-up of 200%, worth €30.8 million.

That makes tomorrow's deadline more than a compliance formality. The stock and transaction data sitting in the NFD feeds directly into how aid is calculated and distributed.

Farmers who haven't yet filed should log into MyAgFood before tomorrow's deadline — and verify their merchant-recorded purchase history while they're at it.