Can’t afford to move: farmers protest across the country at rising fuel prices

Nationwide protests occurred this morning with the agricultural community taking to the streets of major towns and cities to protest rising fuel costs.

Tractor convoy taking part in the local demonstration as part of the nationwide protest on rising fuel prices.

Due to rising fuel prices, members of the agricultural community took to the streets across Ireland today to protest.

On April 7, at 9 am, towns and cities across Ireland found tractors and other agricultural vehicles protesting, with groups organising meeting points and routes over the last few days to ensure a coordinated protest across the whole country.

One of the organisers, Dave Mulcahy, of Mulcahy Agri Services, said that if fuel costs continue as they are, “it will be worse than Covid.” The Leamlara businessman said not only has the fuel price spike affected his own business, but it has had a knock-on effect on contractors, farmers and food producers across the country.

Explaining just how expensive common agricultural practices have become, Mr Mulcahy said: “If a contractor is cutting 150 acres of silage for a silage pit in the coming season that will cost over €4,000 a day, more than last year… That’s how serious this whole thing is, and people don’t realise it.” 

Finbarr O’Mahony, an agricultural contractor in Carrigaline, led his group to Shannonpark roundabout and down towards Ringaskiddy to the Port of Cork.

“We’re protesting about the price of fuel and the government’s lack of action to try and keep it down because it is unsustainable,” Mr O’Mahony said.

Putting the personal effects into context, Mr O’Mahony told the Irish Examiner that he bought 2,500 litres of oil on the day the war started, and if he were to buy the same amount again, it would have cost him €1,200 more.

“The fear I have is going forward is trying to buy diesel to keep the show on the road,” he said, mirroring the sentiment felt by farmers and food producers across the country.

He went on to explain the supports were not enough for green diesel users or people who use kerosene to heat their homes, explaining there are elderly people who currently can't afford to pay for heating “because kerosene has doubled in price.” 

Continuing, Mr O’Mahony said: “We want to show the people that we're standing together, big or small. It doesn't really matter whether you're a big contractor or a man with a van delivering goods around the country, or a truck, because it affects everyone from the small man to the big man.

At the end of the day, we're just ordinary people trying to support each other and trying to push the government into doing something to help us before people go broke.” 

“There's nobody in the country that can say ‘it doesn't affect me,’ because it affects everyone, and that's why we're out here. Maybe we're wasting our time. Maybe we're not, but if we don't do something, we'll definitely waste our time,” he said.

Mr O’Mahony said he was delighted at the level of involvement across the country. “Every county is involved, down to Kerry, up to Donegal, the West and the East, all around. Everybody is on the road.” 

With such a large-scale protest, he said he hopes that “the government will see some bit of sense,” with calls for price capping for fuel prices, which has been implemented in countries like Spain and Italy.

Speaking directly to members of the government, Mr O’Mahony said: “Wake up, you're going to leave the country sink. If you put the working people out of business, the whole thing stops.”