The government is being urged to establish an independent fuel price regulator in response to the spike in marked gas oil (green diesel) prices.

The Association of Farm and Forestry Contractors in Ireland (FCI) has raised "deep concerns" with government about the "persistent and disproportionate pricing structure" of green diesel (compared to white diesel (road diesel).

The association believes that a fuel price regulator would provide "transparency around wholesale fuel costs, margins, taxation, distribution costs and pump prices".

Following extensive price tracking of green diesel prices this year, the FCI said that since the start of the fuel crisis, green diesel prices have consistently risen faster than white diesel prices.

Between February and March 2026, green diesel rose 48%, whereas white diesel rose just 10%, the association said.

The FCI said that green diesel prices have a tendency to remain in and around their peak levels significantly longer than white diesel.

The association added that green diesel prices "remain stubbornly high" and have failed to return to "pre-war norms".

Fuel

FCI national chair Norman Egar said: "Green diesel rose twice as much as white diesel and in half the amount of time, which put an unproportional financial burden on Irish farm and forestry contractors".

"While the wider market has seen some relief in road diesel costs, the essential fuel used to plant, maintain, and harvest our nation’s crops remains disproportionately expensive.

"Our members are essentially paying a premium for a green dye," Egar said.

The FCI is seeking an urgent meeting with Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon to present the evidence from its members.

They will also seek to agree "practical measures" to protect the viability of farm and forestry contracting businesses.

"When our input costs are artificially kept high, it inevitably puts upward pressure on the rates we must charge for our services," Ann Gleeson Hanrahan, FCI managing director, said.

"We are calling for greater transparency in the fuel supply chain and an investigation into why green diesel continues to diverge so significantly from the pricing trajectory of white diesel," she added.