'Crisis' alert as diesel bills soar
Contracting costs could rise by 10pc as diesel prices rose to new record highs once again this month.
"The cost of agricultural fuel has now reached an unsustainable level and the Government must act without delay to avert a real crisis in the agricultural sector," said Tom Murphy, director of the Professional Agricultural Contractors' (PAC).
He believes a combination of profiteering by fuel distributors and the imposition of the carbon tax will drive more farmers to use black-economy contractors.
PAC is lobbying the Government to remove the carbon tax for the next six months. It also wants a reduction in VAT rates and an inquiry into fuel-pricing policies and their effect on the agricultural sector.
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