SAC Rural Policy Centre

In the last year the costs of the main agricultural inputs have risen strongly. Feed costs have risen significantly, fertiliser prices have risen by more than 100% and rebated (red) diesel prices by more than 40%. This factsheet looks at how increasing fertiliser costs have affected the agriculture sector, and what farmers can do to help lessen the impact. The rise in fertiliser prices is important because it is a major input cost on Scottish farms representing between 4% (specialist sheep) and 11% (cereal) of total recorded costs in 2005/06 according to the Farm Accounts Scheme.