Mayo TD's plea for action on fuel crisis ahead of silage-cutting season
A Mayo Oireachtas member has called on the government to take immediate and meaningful action to address the spiralling cost of fuel that is devastating the agricultural sector, rural communities and the wider Irish economy.
Speaking today, Deputy Lawless said: “The situation is devastating our agricultural sector, rural communities, and the wider Irish economy.
“Green diesel has increased by over 70% in the space of weeks, from under €1 a litre to €1.70 and beyond. The government’s response of 5c / litre reduction does not come close to addressing the scale of this crisis.”
“I am calling on the government to convene an urgent, direct meeting with farm organisations and contractor representative bodies. The people living this crisis every single day must have a seat at the table.”
“I have also written formally to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture and Food to request that this be treated as an urgent matter, and to prepare a comprehensive set of proposals to go before the Minister for Agriculture and the Minister for Finance without delay.
“We in Aontú are calling for the full and permanent removal of carbon tax not just on agricultural fuel, but entirely. Carbon tax currently accounts for c. 18c per litre of green diesel, the single largest tax component.
"A further tax increase is scheduled for May 1, adding another 2.4c per litre to green diesel. This must be suspended immediately.
"It would be unconscionable to impose further additional burden on farmers at this time. Carbon tax is supposed to incentivise a switch to cleaner alternatives but there are no alternatives.
"You cannot cut silage in an electric vehicle. You cannot plough a field with a hydrogen tractor that does not yet exist.
"Taxing people for a choice they cannot make is not climate policy. It is a penalty on rural Ireland.”
“I am also calling for a targeted, accessible fuel rebate scheme for farmers and farm contractors, who are currently excluded from the existing Diesel Rebate Scheme. That exclusion is wrong and must be corrected. I am also calling for HVO, Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil to be included in any rebate scheme. HVO is not a carbon fuel. HVO should be included in the rebate scheme.”
“We are at the most critical point of the farming calendar. Slurry is being spread. Fields are being ploughed. Grain is being planted. Silage season is weeks away. Contractors cannot even give a firm quote to farmers because they do not know what diesel will cost next week. The Farm Contractors of Ireland estimate this fuel shock will cost the sector an additional €175 million per year.”
“This is not only a farming issue. Hauliers, bus operators, and ordinary motorists are all under severe pressure. If we do not act with speed and at scale, supply chains will fracture, inflation will rise further, and more businesses will go to the wall,” concluded, Lawless