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Catherina Cunnane
Catherina Cunnanehttps://www.thatsfarming.com/
Catherina Cunnane hails from a sixth-generation drystock and specialised pedigree suckler enterprise in Co. Mayo. She currently holds the positions of editor and general manager at That's Farming, having joined the firm during its start-up phase in 2015.
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‘He is going to be paying an additional €130,000 for fuel this year’

Rural Independent Group member, deputy Michael Collins, has reiterated the party’s call to abolish the “punitive, unfair, burdensome, and out-of-touch” carbon tax.

The deputy believes Ireland should stage a referendum on carbon tax to “give the people a say”.

He expressed his concerns during a Dáil debate on rising energy costs on Tuesday, March 22nd, 2022.

Carbon tax 

He said the last month, the party’s motion to call on the government to hold a mini-budget to “deal decisively” with the cost of living and the energy price emergency was “blocked”.

Collins stated that the motion “paved the way” for home heating oil, petrol, and diesel prices to fall “significantly”.

He told the house that “instead, government deputies are allowing it to climb to more than €2/L to stay in office”. He pointed out that they are “raking in” about €1.15/L in taxes for the government.

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Continuing, he said: “I spoke to a silage contractor who called into my clinic at the weekend. He [the ag contractor] said he is going to be paying an additional €130,000 for fuel this year, an astonishing increase.”

The deputy then went on the accuse the government of “codding” the farmers of Ireland.

However, he said: “They are not fools and they are going bust. They cannot even get fuel at this stage, no matter what they are willing to pay for it. Farmers are in dire trouble,” he concluded.

See impacts next autumn

Independent TD for Galway-East, Sean Canney, said that he has spoken to agricultural contractors, farmers, farm suppliers and builder providers who “all believe that the effects of increasing costs and scarcity of fertiliser will not be properly seen until next autumn”.

He said: “A building provider told me last night that he is not buying in any more fertiliser because the next pallet he buys will cost him €500 more than the one he bought last week.”

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