Controversial Fuel Protests Continue: Sectoral Follow Up

0:00We're continuing with our reaction, our assessment, our delving into the ongoing fuel protests. Let's get some sectoral reaction. And for on that, we're joined in studio by the deputy vice president of the Art Road College Association, Eugene Drennan, who has replaced him, he doly, so the seat should still be warm. And on the line, we have the Claire IFH air, Stephen Walch, as well. And you're both very welcome to the program. And I'll start with yourself, Eugene, because we've plenty talked in the previous section about official legitimate representatives of bodies meeting the government and all the associated strands connected to that. You were a part of the RAH delegation that met with the government yesterday. What came of that? Anything productive? Well, I'd like to clarify one of the two things first. I think your program yesterday has been reported. I mean, that people kind of alluded to that we had some sort of a special deal. And we could buy fuel differently. And you know, got some bit of refunds off of it.

1:01That is not true. It's all legitimate what we do. It's recorded, any rebates, any help we've got. It's available to everybody. You know, we negotiate on behalf of our members. But for instance, the coach people have been for this greatly. That's what the days of rebate is just for halliers. No, no, there's a regulation to it. And you have to meet them in the regulations and get them on you because in that we have a rebate scheme now for about 12 years. You know, at one stage, we had only 50% of halliers taking it up. OK, so it was because there was conditions, there was regulations there to join up. OK, except I did just because time is limited. OK, I just want to give you talks. Did anything productive come because the government has said they'll continue to engage with you guys. Some people might look at that and say, well, that sounds a bit like a holding pattern. And what about the criticism coming from some of the protesters that the groups like your own and the IFA don't represent everybody? And that's why they feel that their voices aren't being heard.

2:01And that's part of the reason that they feel they've been pushed into. They've been left with little option but to carry out these protests. Well, for my own perspective, I see the reason for protest in the worst to be a rolling protest. And the mess of people were fully behind because the cast here. But it's now going to full blockage and it's been kind of hijacked by other people. And we've a teleporter block in the road here to go to Shannon now this morning. So that's gone fast at this morning, yeah? That's gone far from being a protest blockage and hurting people. And I've been coming in here to you for four years complaining about tax and tax and tax and the layers of taxation on fuel and where we were going. Very few vices supported me. Different people here in Claire know what I talk about and you all get a reaction if I'm on. But say if the mass of this protest group, they never supported what we were at, they never tried, never dealt into because they're working way. Now people do work. And if they have a small number of talks of that, the work is the main focus. But how you get what you're saying is this may be the straw

3:01that broke the camel's back. Though, you know, previously they were as unhappy as you were about the situation. But this is the moment that just compelled them to just push them over the edge. Well, as I said, the last time here, we threatened protest last November again in spring. And if you recall our last interview, we styled because Minister O'Brien, Ryan was from Brazil, it's a patriotic celebration that he would bring some fundamental to the table. And I said that that interview as well that we forced him into a bit of activity because they did did the work too slow to react. But for most people around the world, they're second guests on Trump. It's a war, situations, the first thing. It's a very, very different, rather than a weather or coordinates or a virus. And then there was a war situation with the supply line of fuel. And because we were so fast to react because I had come through 1977 in business, it was just horrific. And we're back at the same situation. And we needed immediacy of action.

4:02And we needed a faster. We needed to deal with the hero now, not what if our where Trump was. So that was a bit slow. OK, I want to bring Stephen Walgyn from the IFA. Stephen Farmer is obviously, as we well know, including from this show heavily impacted by the rising fuel cost, particularly angry diesel. What's your take on the protests? We're in today, three now, and we get to, you know, the defense force has been called in. I do have empathy with those who are carrying them out. Do you support them? We know the organizations haven't publicly backed these protests. Do you think they have gone too far? I suppose it's kind of damned if you don't, if you don't, in the scenario, because you see, the frustration is that, you know, we don't feel the government is actually listening to the situation. And you said they seem to be, you know, hanging back there. And this is a very serious situation. I mean, you know, our whole structure, our whole economy is based on fuel.

5:02And as we know, tractors don't run on anything else. You know, you have to have fuel. And we're, you know, we're coming into the busy time. You know, spring has been slowed. There's been a frustration or the weather. But look, we can't do anything about that. But the cost of fuel, and it is, I mean, it is just astronomically, I mean, from February, from about 92 cents, you know, at least or up to 157. And, you know, we got five cents back to the government. I mean, it just frustrated the life of other people. And that's the point that some of them have made. Can you understand that, you know, the argument that why should the government meet with some of these protesters, whether they have appointed four representatives or not, that I've heard them say, well, you know, if some of the official organizations that are dealing with the government, the outcomes haven't been fruitful. That the cut on green diesel, the three cents was negligible, compared to how much it's going up. So would you accept that those who would feel that the IFA isn't getting as much out of the government as perhaps they would have hoped? Well, I suppose look, I mean, anyone that would look at us say absolutely.

6:03And I mean, you know, we're talking about talks, but we have to get actually action. And I mean, that's the frustration that's out there and they're always in US. I mean, you know, do I say, but that's absolutely. Because contractors, I mean, the sheer cost is going to be put down on them. It's astronomical. And I mean, you know, who is to pay for that? It goes back to the farmers. We see the price ability because it's back down. The price of beef is coming back down. And yes, you know, we're price takers. You know, so it means, you know, you're just worse off. You're working harder and you're worse off. And that's the frustration. And, you know, we're not being listened to. And I mean, there's no point saying that we are because, you know, we had the debate over the markets are, I mean, you know, we got the two fingers there. And, you know, yet they think that, you know, we as farmers in terms of, you know, family farms, and we can compete with these astronomical, you know, feedlots from Brazil. But it just makes the point that we're not being listened to. And this is a serious situation. No, no, no, I guess we get the grievances

7:07or the issues you have with the government. But I'm just trying to get a sense. Are you saying, like, obviously the government should continue to talk the IFA, but you support the protests? You know, should the government, should the government, should the government also be speaking to some of these protesters as well as yourselves? Does that deligitimize your yourselves? You could argue it both ways. I mean, I mean, you know, we have an organization, we have a structure, but at the same time, there has to be a sense of being listened to. There has to be a sense of the reality that they are, that this is a serious situation that needs to get started out. And you might say, well, it's out of our control. It's, you know, Middle East or it's oil, but surely somebody within the structure must have studied this and say, well, actually, this is a situation that should be cared for or understood that we don't find ourselves in this scenario. Okay, I want to come back to this and find out what point would you draw the line on these protests?

8:09I'll come back to Eugene and just read out some messages first because one here, saying in 086, 181964, junction 13 has blocked both sides. I fully support the demonstrations, but blocking motorway junctions is very dangerous. Says that listener. And I guess Eugene that raises the point of where you draw the line between legitimate protests and unacceptable disruption. And, you know, the point I was making to done earlier on that how will support Wayne from the public the longer this goes on? And also the argument that it's impacting on people who are already suffering. You know, if there's two fellas standing in front of me and the guy in the right punches me in the face, I punch in the left and the face to get back at the guy in the right. It doesn't seem like it seems like a bit crazy. It doesn't solve the problem. I want to come back to the diesel and the farmers in the moment, but I'll answer your question. It is now, as I said, as the start gone to a blockage and I've had phone calls from people who wanted to choose to even though we didn't put in or out this protest, it is our issue.

9:09We absolutely know what they're talking about, but we're not part of it. And we didn't ask for this. But people have been black going for their opinions to hospitals. I've had desperate phone calls. And everybody in this county and every county violence has been touched by cancer. And people are getting in front of me. And we've received messages including once in a while. Somebody who had a loved one who was passing away. Do you think that then the defense force has been called in as an appropriate response using given the field apples that have been blocked, motorways being blocked? Well, again, perhaps they've actually been taken a little bit earlier in the week. We would need the defense forces. But we are where we are. And the supply chain, the port of finance has been blocked now for three days. Farmers can get their feet off. They've blocked themselves. And now we've an animal welfare issue, especially for the Peagory people. And the people blocking the port are mainly tractors. OK, I'm 40 time very much against me. So I just want to get a sense from both of you as to where we go next. Stephen, we know I mentioned Timmy Dooley

10:10and Martin Hayden meeting with reps and contracting and agricultural organizations on Friday. But are you hopeful? Are you confident that you will get more out of the government that might satisfy not just yourselves, but also these protesters. Because the government has said they'll reassess the situation at the end of May, where in the middle of April, are they going to pull the cord sooner than you think? Or how do you think this is going to play out? Well, I suppose, look, we have a plan. We want to see the suspension of the carbon tax. That's worth 17.2 cents on every liter of green diesel. I mean, on fair and farmers, because there is no other option. We want to see a temporary fuel support scheme. That's basically the same as the temporary business energy support scheme that was there. And it provides a support payment, you know, basically to cover the cost between the increases between what was previously in 2020 to 2026.

11:11You know, it's a temporary basis, but at least we keep people going. We want to see, again, the an expansion of the farm carbon tax, you know, the to enable a close contact qualify and to simplify it to encourage more to be able to stay up that release, reintroduction of the father scheme. Because our biggest issue here is if if the not father doesn't get caught, and we know increased prices should that, you know, you caught a big list. Okay. Okay. I would be 150 prices on that one. Okay. So you're looking for it. Sorry, I'm fortunate. I'm very much against the same. You're looking for quite a bit there. Just to briefly finish with you, Eugene, you know, it's an understandable list there. But it's quite a list and the carbon tax, I mean, it's due to increase. It's hard to see the government rowing back on that in terms of what you're looking for, you're just going to forge ahead with talks and hope that they will be productive because I the government is going to move on measures

12:12before the end of May because they, that's the timeline that they had said initially. But, you know, as I say, the end of May seems a long way away, given what's going on at the moment. Yeah, but the trigger mechanism, I think, for the cost for farmers, is the cost of green diesel. It has never been hit before. And it's right in the different strata that come in to carbon tax and the compound nature of carbon tax has caused a lot of issues. We presented a paper to the government yesterday. And our fear is that if the fuel rises surges again, we need something to kick in. Now, we've presented a paper pro-rata to the literature and the price. That can be converted to green diesel as well. I think that will get unreasonably well and Friday. Okay, you think the wish is there for us. Okay, and that would be a big help. Okay, and for us, you do have to leave there. But my thanks to you, Eugene Dren and Deputy Vice Presidents, the Ars Road College Association for Calling in and also to Stephen Walsh, the Claire IFA chair.