Farmers 'would need 50c per litre fuel price cut' to consider sowing crops
Fuel prices would need to reduce by as much as 50 cent per litre for it to be worthwhile for farmers to sow crops – given how machinery-intensive it is.
As excise duty reductions kicked in at the pumps last night, farmers will not reap the same benefits as there is less scope for reductions on green diesel that is used by the agricultural industry.
A meeting of Galway County Council this week heard that if the Government wants farmers to sow grain crops, they must make it viable to do so – and now Cllr Declan Geraghty (Ind) from Williamstown is calling for a 50c reduction in fuel prices.
He said that the major oil companies also have to play their part by reducing the profit margins they receive. Cllr Geraghty – who operates a filling station and fuel sales business – said oil companies have not intervened since the current crisis began.
The Government yesterday signed off on a 15c cut in excise duty for diesel
A motion proposed by Cllr Geraghty (Ind) calling on the Government to reduce excise on road diesel and petrol with immediate effect was passed earlier this week by the local authority.
He said it was “a bit rich” that farmers were being asked to sow crops in the current crisis when fuel prices were spiralling out of control.
“Farmers are being asked to grow crops for fear of a food shortage, but this involves the use of machinery which doesn’t run on fresh air."
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