'We have to do more' Longford Senator Paraic Brady says Government support can end protest

Longford Senator Paraic Brady has described last month's measure of a 3c reduction in green diesel as an 'insult' to farmers and insisted the Government 'have to do more'.

The Drumlish man has played his part in opening dialogue between the Government and fuel price protestors ahead of a meeting with government ministers this afternoon.

Senator Brady said it is a serious situation and he will not be attending the meeting himself, but he is 'confident' of a positive resolution due to new raft of supports he believes is being introduced by the Government over the coming weeks.

The Fine Gael representative, who was elected as a Senator on the Agricultural Panel last year, said the protesters sent an email to all government ministers two weeks ago.

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"I received an email Tuesday night at around half seven, eight o'clock to see would I forward on an email to the Tánaiste [Simon Harris] regarding the concerns of the protesters.

"So, I received an email and forwarded it on. The Tánaiste received the email and I spoke to him the next day on Wednesday regarding it."

Asked if the email he received, was from a person who was known to him personally, Senator Brady replied, "It was actually from the protest, from the people that were organising the protest."

Senator Brady is often connected with a very prominent beef protest himself.

In 2019, Larry Goodman’s ABP companies took out an injunction against Cllr Brady following his high profile involvement in a protest outside C & D Pet Foods in Edgeworthstown during beef protests. The injunctions were subsequently struck out.

Senator Brady, who was asked if he had sympathy for the protesters and whether he could relate to them, said stated that 'everybody knows, first of all, I'm a family myself'.

"I can see the costs, the costs are huge, like fertiliser, diesel and even the price of putting a new tyre now on a tractor, every cost, service, oil, like oil for changing the back end of a tractor, oil filters, every moving part now is gone at least 25% more expensive.

"Farmers had a good year last year and unfortunately, it really has been soaked up with this war in Ukraine and rising fuel costs."

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Last month the government agreed to cut excise duty on fuel to mitigate rising prices, specifically a 20-cent reduction per litre of diesel and a 15-cent reduction per litre of petrol.

A 3-cent cut in excise duty on green diesel was also announced, though this has been criticized by farming representatives as insufficient, while hauliers have complained that they are at risk of going out of business due to spiralling costs.

Senator Brady said that reduction 'was eaten up in a couple of days with the increase in fuel costs.

"I think it might have went down at the pumps for three to five days and it was eaten back up again with supply and demand.

"It's not actually the filling stations that are gouging at the prices because they only have a small markup on it of maybe 2c or 3c
"Certainly that whole sector, the €250 million, I think certainly made an impact in certain people's pockets.

"But it didn't have the desired effect with 3 cent on green diesel, because farmers felt that the 3 cent wasn't enough, and in fact it was an insult.

"And as the government, like €250 million was a huge amount of money."

Senator Brady said they are now back looking at what more can be done to support businesses.

"Look, I do think we have to do more and we certainly have to do more.

"Whether that be introducing the rebate scheme for farmers, hauliers, fisheries, like something has to be done now, because these people that are on the streets are the hauliers that draw the food.

"I'd say 99% of these people that are on the streets are hard-working, decent people that have families, that have livelihoods and have businesses and that's society.

"Unfortunately, everybody that has a grievance feels that maybe this is their time to jump on this bandwagon and cause a little bit of mayhem and anarchy.

"But look, 99% of these people that are on the streets are working-class individuals."

Senator Brady said he is hopeful the new set of Government measures will lead to a resolution.

"I think common sense will prevail.

"I'm confident the Government are listening and the measures implemented over the next few weeks will be prudent but we have to look after ordinary hardworking people.

"We have to do something on the diesel itself and I certainly would like to see the rebate scheme.

"Whether it's enough [I don't know], you to see farmers don't pick up the rebate scheme, or small hauliers don't pick up the rebate scheme, or contractors don't pick up the rebate scheme.

"Now, I don't know whether that can be done as a measure in government or what the cost of that is.

"That's above my pay grade.

"But I do know we certainly have to listen to the people on the streets at this moment in time.

"And everything can be resolved with dialogue and I must stress that."