Fitzmaurice: 'New normal' fuel costs are crippling farmers and contractors
Soaring green diesel costs are pushing farmers and agricultural contractors to breaking point, Roscommon-Galway TD Michael Fitzmaurice has warned.
The Independent Ireland agriculture spokesperson is calling on the government to act immediately and ensure its €85 million fuel support package reaches those who need it most.
Earlier this week the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, warned that higher fuel costs in Ireland could be the "new norm".
The impact of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East has seen oil prices rise sharply this week again and led to heightened concerns over fuel costs.
Deputy Fitzmaurice said contractors and farmers are now under acute pressure because of escalating fuel costs and are facing "green diesel prices approaching €1.50 per litre".
He also described the Taoiseach's comments on rising fuel costs as "extraordinary".
Earlier this year the government unveiled a multi-million euro Fuel Income Support Scheme to provide "targeted income support" to farmers, agricultural contractors and fishers facing "unprecedented increases in fuel costs".
It set out that farmers and agricultural contractors would get a support rate equivalent to approximately 20 cents per litre of green diesel used based on verified fuel consumption in 2025.
Payments were intended to cover the months of March up to the end of July 2026.
But as green diesel prices continue to climb, the Independent Ireland agriculture spokesperson has urged the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon, to now "urgently intervene" again.
Minister Heydon has maintained that farmers and farm contractors have been supported by the government's "fuel intervention".
"I think everybody in the sector would recognise we established a new scheme and got it paid out within four to four and a half months, which is a very significant thing to do and to be able to support them," the minister said earlier this month.
Fuel prices
However Deputy Fitzmaurice warns to see fresh action on the issue from the minister.
“Minister Heydon came before the Agriculture Committee and made it very clear that the 20 cent figure being discussed for the fuel support was an indicative figure. He is on the record on that.
“We were told that €85 million was being made available for farmers and contractors, yet only around €26 million has been claimed so far.
“There is clearly money within that allocation that has not been used. That money must not simply disappear back into the Exchequer," he added.
The Roscommon-Galway TD wants the remainder of the funding initially earmarked for the Fuel Income Support Scheme to be "ring-fenced".
“Green diesel is now heading towards €1.50 a litre. This is crippling farmers and contractors. These are people who have no choice but to use fuel — you cannot run a tractor, harvest crops, cut silage or operate agricultural machinery without it.
“The government needs to understand the reality on the ground. Farmers and contractors are already dealing with enormous input costs, and fuel is another major burden.
“If the money has been allocated, use it for the purpose it was allocated for".
The Independent Ireland agriculture spokesperson believes that the government should put in place "another five months of support for farmers and contractors immediately".
Fertiliser
However, Minister Heydon has indicated that he is proposing to use leftover funds from the Fuel Income Support Scheme for fertiliser supports.
Pressure has been mounting on the minister to deliver a support scheme for farmers since the €540 million EU Fertiliser Action Plan was approved by member states in July.
