Teagasc analysed 39,033 soil samples in 2025, a 44% fall on the year before. The drop hit every major farm enterprise, with drystock samples down 62%. Yet three in four samples still fell short of sufficient soil fertility. Fewer farmers are testing at a time when most soils need attention. With the winter sampling window now open, the report is a timely prompt to check when your farm was last tested.
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What the Teagasc Soil Fertility Report 2025 Found
Teagasc published its Soil Fertility Dashboard and Report 2025 in March 2026. It replaces the old written report with an interactive dashboard covering more than 800,000 soil samples analysed since 2006.
The 2025 sample set fell across all enterprises:
- Dairy: 18,241 samples, down 13.5%
- Drystock: 16,452 samples (14,503 beef and 1,949 sheep), down 62%
- Tillage: 3,797 samples, down 20%
Around 90% of the samples came from grassland systems.
These figures cover the Teagasc soil testing service. They do not include every sample tested by other laboratories in Ireland. Even so, the Teagasc dataset is the longest-running record of national soil fertility trends.
Why Fewer Soil Samples Were Taken in 2025
Teagasc links the fall to the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES). ACRES Tranche 1 participants had to take soil samples and upload the results by 15 May 2024. Teagasc had recorded a 300% jump in sample numbers in 2023 as farmers prepared. Once those requirements were met, sampling dropped back.
A second free route has also closed. The Department of Agriculture’s Soil Sampling and Analysis Programme tested more than 145,000 samples from 10,500 farms across 2024 and 2025. Southern Scientific was one of three accredited laboratories that carried out the analysis. The Department said in early 2026 that no funding had been allocated for a future phase.
With both schemes behind them, many farmers now face the cost of their next soil test on their own.
Soil Fertility Is Improving, but Deficits Remain
The 2025 results showed real progress. Teagasc links much of it to greater lime use in recent years.
- 25% of samples had sufficient fertility (pH above 6.2 and P and K at Index 3 or 4), up 5%
- 44% of samples were below pH 6.2, down from 52% in 2024
- 43% were at P Index 1 or 2, down 9%
- 41% were at K Index 1 or 2, down 2%
The gaps between enterprises are wide. Dairy led with 34% of samples at sufficient fertility. Tillage reached 30%, but 27% of tillage samples had a pH above 7, which can lock up nutrients. Drystock trailed at 15%, with 59% of soils below pH 6.2.
Teagasc also notes that fertiliser P and K use remains below historical norms. Soil reserves can carry a farm for a time. They cannot cover a long-term deficit.
No Valid Soil Test Means P Index 4
A soil test is more than good practice. Under the Nitrates Regulations, a farm without valid results must assume P Index 4 for the land in question. That means no chemical phosphorus can be applied. This rule applies to:
- All arable land
- Grassland farms stocked above 130 kg organic nitrogen per hectare
A soil test is valid for four years for nutrient content and 12 years for soil organic matter. Since 14 September 2025, every soil report must also include the georeference or LPIS parcel number of the sampled area. Reports without it default to P Index 4.
Many farms took soil samples for ACRES in 2022 and 2023. If your last results date from that period, check how long they have left before they expire.
When and How to Take Soil Samples
Teagasc advises that the best window runs from now until early March, before any slurry or fertiliser is spread. Accurate results depend on good technique:
- Wait at least three months after the last P or K application, chemical or organic
- Wait two years after lime before sampling for pH
- Take one sample for every 2 to 4 hectares, and no more than 5 hectares
- Collect at least 20 cores to a depth of 10 cm, walking a W pattern across the field
- Avoid gateways, troughs, dung patches and old fence lines
- Sample at the same time of year each time so results compare like for like
Fields with different soil types, cropping history or drainage should be sampled on their own.
Get Your Soil Samples Analysed Before Spring
The Teagasc figures show that soils are improving where farmers test and act on the results. Fertiliser is too costly to spread on guesswork. Testing now puts you in control of lime, slurry and fertiliser decisions. It means moving from reactive crisis management to proactive protection of your land.
Southern Scientific is Ireland’s largest soil testing laboratory and is INAB-accredited. Our suites range from P, K, pH and lime through to organic matter, heavy metals and our Soil Health Check. Results arrive within 10 working days, or 3 to 5 working days on our express service.
Order an agricultural soil test kit and have your results in hand before the spring spreading season.
