Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 March 2022
1144. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if has considered increasing the use of seaweed as fertiliser to tackle the shortage of fertiliser; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14588/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn general, as unprocessed seaweeds have low levels of N, P and K, their role as a nutrient fertiliser is somewhat limited. The spreading of seaweed on land is therefore not the optimum use of such a valuable resource and, in its unprocessed form, is best used in other areas of agriculture.
However, certain scientific studies indicate that extracts of seaweed may have a potential role in enhancing nutrient uptake and use efficiency in crops, thus providing a means of reducing the levels of fertilisers that need to be applied. Seaweed extracts are classified as ‘plant biostimulants’ and are described in EU Regulation 2019/1009 laying down rules on the making available on the market of EU fertilising products as inputs that stimulate a crop’s natural nutrition processes thus improving the crop’s nutrient use efficiency.
There are a number of products already on the market that provide such a function.
