Irish Government announces 505m euro in fuel-cost measures after protests

Further reductions of duties on fuel and a delay in a carbon tax increase have been announced by Irish premier Micheal Martin after an emergency Cabinet meeting agreed on a response to the fuel crisis following major protests.

The size of the package announced on Sunday is around 505 million euro (£440 million), and comes on top of 250 million euro (£218 million) worth of measures announced almost three weeks ago.

The protests – including blockades of Ireland’s only oil refinery and other key depots – strangled fuel distribution across the country and prompted an escalated policing response that resulted in several arrests amid clashes between public order units and protesters.

Participants – largely led by hauliers, farmers, and agricultural workers – began distinct but co-ordinated action on Tuesday with slow-moving convoys and outright stoppages on major motorways, as well as blockades of critical infrastructure which had largely wound down or disbanded by police by midday on Sunday.

The protesters had called on the Irish Government to take urgent action to reduce fuel costs which they say are at unsustainable levels and will lead to people going out of business.

The disruption to the fuel distribution network, which saw more than a third of the country’s filling stations run dry, has had knock-on impacts and serious concerns for the provision of essential services, such as emergency responders and medical care as well as farm animal feed and water treatment.

Government ministers refused to engage with the protesters and instead held talks with established representative bodies in the transport and agricultural sectors.

The talks resulted in the package of measures announced on Sunday, which involve extending a previously announced reduction in excise duty on petrol, diesel and marked gas oil (“green diesel”) from the end of may to the end of July, and further reducing minimum oil taxes by 10 cent per lire on petrol 10 cent per litre on diesel, and 2.4 cent per litre on green diesel.

The measures will take effect from midnight on Wednesday, subject to approval in the Dail – and will mean excise will have been reduced by a total of 32c on diesel, 27c on petrol, and 7.4c on green diesel.

The overall package announced by Government includes a 100 million euro fuel subsidy support scheme to assist farmers, agricultural contractors and fishers.

Agriculture Minister Martin Heydon said the payments to farmers and agriculture workers would cover the months of March up to the end of July, with funding based on last year’s fuel consumption.

A separate scheme for fishers, foresty and specialist horticulture was also being devised.

The transport scheme effectively involves direct payments and will be backdated to March.

The Government will also postpone a scheduled increase of the carbon tax rate which was due to come into May until the Budget in October.

There will also be a transport support scheme for all haulage operators as well as school transport providers and some commercial operators, and a fuel subsidy support scheme for those in farming and fishing.

Opposition parties have roundly criticised the Government’s response to the fuel-price crisis and its handling of the protests, with Sinn Fein set to table a motion of no confidence when the Dail parliament resumes on Tuesday.

On Saturday, the Irish police service An Garda Siochana first cleared a blockade of the country’s only oil refinery in Whitegate, Co Cork.

It also saw physical clashes between protesters and gardai, who used pepper spray during the hour-long operation which re-secured access for fuel trucks.

Afterwards, Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly vowed to step up enforcement against fuel-cost protesters “endangering the state” by blocking critical infrastructure.

It later saw the clearing of a blockade on Dublin’s main thoroughfare, O’Connell Street, in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Elsewhere, the Defence Forces assisted gardai with clearing a makeshift barrier erected by protesters blockading Galway docks.

Footage posted on social media by An Garda Siochana showed a Defence Forces heavy-lift recovery truck – nicknamed “the Beast” – driving through the barrier constructed with pallets and logs, while a garda helicopter monitored overhead.

A second heavy-lift recovery truck operated by the Defence Forces was also at the scene while gardai worked to restore access to the harbour, as the Public Order Unit members with plastic shields pushed against a line of demonstrators.

Other demonstrations near Rosslare Europort, which became at risk of reaching capacity for unaccompanied freight, and a depot in Foynes, Co Limerick wound down.

Meanwhile, Ireland’s National Emergency Coordination Group said it “will take several days for fuel distribution to return to normal” – while an industry representative said it could up to 10.

The NECG said: “While a number of blockades have now been dispersed, disruption to port operations, fuel distribution and supply chains remain, along with continuing disruption to the road and public transport networks.”

There are ongoing risks to key supply chains, with a focus on relieving disruptions to freight flows and deliveries to trade and retail.

Urging against panic buying, It said there were concerns that workers may not have sufficient access to fuel to drive to and from their places of work, which jeopardises the provision of critical services, health services, as well as business operations.

In order to ease local fuel supply issues and traffic congestion, the public is urged to only buy the fuel they need and to continue to consider the traffic and travel situation before making a journey. The public is also warned that storing fuel at home or in unsafe locations presents significant safety risks.

With schools returning on Monday, Bus Eireann confirmed its school transport services are intended to resume.

Meanwhile, police in Northern Ireland said they are “maintaining an ongoing assessment” in relation to social media posts calling for similar planned protests there.

A PSNI spokeswoman said: “A policing response has been prepared, if needed, to ensure public safety and to help minimise any potential disruption to the wider community.”