The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA) has described the 2c/L cut in excise on agricultural green diesel as “derisory”.
Following a meeting with the three ministers in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine yesterday (Tuesday, March 8), farm organisations heard that the cabinet is set to sign off on a cut in excise duty on fuel which will see a 2c/L reduction in the price of green diesel.
The president of the ICMSA, Pat McCormack stated that this announcement shows farmers a wider picture of the government’s “proclaimed focus” on food security, grass and cereal growth.
“So much for the need to get more cereals planted and grass grown,” McCormack said.
“It’s incredibly difficult to work out why domestic or commercial diesel use would have its excise share of retail price reduced by 15c/L, while farming has its excise share of retail price reduced by a mere 2c/L.”
McCormack said he predicted that the benefits to farmers, contractors and farm-related logistics would be “practically negligible”.
“It was practically impossible to reconcile this derisory cut in excise on food-related farming with the expressions of importance that the government had made just yesterday,” he said.
The ICMSA president said that the importance which the government attached to farming and food security now seemed to change on a daily basis.
McCormack raised the question of whether anyone understands the government’s position on food security, the farming sector or the idea to increase cereal production.
“It’s absolutely crucial that Ireland’s farming and food sectors understand what’s being asked of us and how policy is being driven, and to what end,” he said.
He added that the last few days have not helped to clarify this.
“We have contradiction upon contradiction. Something that was an emergency yesterday, apparently isn’t today, and the general impression is that policy is being made up ‘on the hoof’,” McCormack added.
The ICMSA president said that Minister McConalogue needs to clarify the matter since the issue is “gaining in importance by the day”.