There is concern among farmers and agri contractors that the fuel support scheme will be overly bureaucratic and too slow, Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) president Francie Gorman has said.
The IFA president acknowledged the significant package of measures announced by the Government. However, he said the situation will have to be kept under constant review to protect the agricultural sector in these highly volatile times.
He commented: “The Government did not seek the agreement of [the] IFA to this package. The crisis in the Middle East is still extremely volatile and farmers and agri contractors are under huge financial pressure.
“The €100m fuel support scheme is similar to a proposal made by [the] IFA at our meeting with the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance Simon Harris two weeks ago.”
User friendly
Gorman emphasised that the scheme must be user friendly and flexible to ensure that those who need support get it quickly.
“The structure and rollout of this scheme must happen quickly and the Department needs to ensure it is efficient and effective.
“The Government still needs to address the carbon tax in the next budget. The decision not to apply the increase due in May is the right one, but the whole tax is very unfair and punitive for farmers and rural Ireland.
“The Government must do far more to address the frustration and anger in rural Ireland, particularly around the cost of doing business and over-regulation,” he said.
He said the IFA also proposed a fodder scheme and additional support for the tillage sector, which it intends to continue pursuing.
“While we will continue to campaign vigorously on these issues, we must guard against our valid campaigns being used by people with other agendas,” he concluded.
SHARING OPTIONS