Since 2020, horticulture input costs have risen on average by 76.2% across sub-sectors in the Republic of Ireland, according to a new report. Teagasc has published its Horticulture Crop Input Prices 2026 report, which finds that the cost of producing horticultural crops in Ireland rose on average by 3.9% between January 2025 and January 2026.

The report also found significant longer‑term inflation since 2020, with fresh volatility in energy, packaging, fertiliser and transportation costs since March 2026. Labour is the single largest input, now representing about 43.4% of total production costs and has increased 3.9 percentage points since 2020.

Wages, employer Pay-Related Social Insurance (PRSI), and pension changes mean effective labour costs rose roughly 6.2% in the reporting period, Teagasc said.

Fertiliser costs averaged a 10.1% increase (January 2025 to January 2026). Some specialty products, such as controlled‑release fertilisers used in container production, reported up to a 27% increase.

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Publication date:

Wed 27 May 2026