Green diesel crackdown as Donegal drivers rack up convictions
Donegal drivers account for more than a quarter of green diesel convictions in the State between April and June this year
Customs officers in Donegal are increasingly clamping down on the use of green diesel in non-agricultural vehicles, with drivers here accounting for more than a quarter of all convictions across the State.
Green diesel, which is legal for use in agricultural vehicles and off-road construction machinery, including generators, retails at around €1.60 per litre, compared to almost €2 for standard (white) diesel.
However, it is an offence to use it non-agricultural vehicles, and drivers caught using it when Customs officers ‘dip’ their fuel tank are prosecuted.
Five convictions were secured in the courts by officers acting on behalf of the Revenue Commissioners for ‘marked mineral oil’ (i.e. green diesel) offences between April and June this year.
Three different men were convicted and fined €2,500 each for the use of green diesel in a non-agricultural vehicle, while another man was fined €2,600 for the same offence. One further man was convicted for failing to hold a current mineral oil (green diesel) licence and was fined €2,500.
Across the State as a whole, there were just 18 convictions for green diesel offences during that three-month period. With five relating to Donegal, the county accounted for more than a quarter of the national total.
There is a significant increase in green diesel detections in Donegal over the past year and a half.
According to data published by the Revenue Commissioners, there were just two detections of green diesel offences in Donegal from January to March this year, and only three such offences in the whole of 2025.
With ongoing conflicts between Ukraine and Russia and the United States and Iran reducing supplies, it seems certain that the price of all fuels- green and white diesel, petrol and home heating oil - will continue to rise as winter approaches.
Whether that will lead to more drivers risking a fill of green diesel remains to be seen, but with fines of €2,500 or more and the vehicle also liable to be seized, it is a high-risk gamble.