The Government will on Wednesday reveal the details of its fuel support package, widening help beyond farmers and fishers to include construction contractors, quarry truck drivers and other drivers of vehicles deemed essential for construction. The move comes after fuel protests and blockades limited supplies across the country and left businesses facing higher costs.
The €505 million package was announced by the Government in response to those disruptions, and the new measures are set to cover haulage operators, school transport providers and some commercial operators as well. Andrew Brownlee said the expansion for construction was a welcome response to the pressure on companies, adding that the sector continues to feel the effects of global oil price shocks arising from the conflict involving Iran and its wider repercussions.
The farming scheme will be the largest element of the plan. The €100 million Fuel Subsidy Support Scheme will provide payments toward the higher cost of green diesel, be backdated to March and run until July. It will also include €15 million for fisheries and aquaculture. Around 120,000 farmers and 1,500 full-time agricultural contractors are expected to qualify, and applicants will have to apply online. Payment levels will be based on fuel usage in 2025.
Agriculture Minister Martin Heydon said the savings from the subsidy scheme for farmers and farm contractors, together with earlier measures from the Government, would reduce green diesel by 27.4 cent per litre. He said the support was needed for some time, reflecting the scale of the fuel bill facing the sector.
The new package follows an earlier €250 million round of measures announced less than three weeks ago, after the fuel crisis sparked by the war in Iran and the effective shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz. That earlier response was quickly overtaken by the deeper fuel disruptions and the Government’s decision to broaden support again. Wednesday’s announcement will show how far ministers are prepared to go to steady costs in industries that depend on fuel every day.
The question now is not whether the aid will reach more sectors, but whether it will be enough to blunt the damage already done. For construction firms, haulage operators and farmers, the answer will depend on how quickly the payments arrive and whether fuel prices keep moving in the wrong direction.
