“Emergency Response Needed to Spiralling Input Costs of Farming” - Cllr O'Reilly
Cavan County Councillor, and Aontú Agriculture Spokesperson, Sarah O'Reilly has stressed the need for an emergency response to the cost-of-living crisis in the farming sector.
Speaking today, Cllr O'Reilly said “The farming sector underpins our entire rural economy. For that reason, the genuine hardships in the argriculture secotor brought on by the spiralling cost of living, is extremely concerning. Fertiliser prices have seen a 164% increase in price from last year, feed prices are up 32.6% and energy prices are up 50.5%. Overall, the agricultural input price index has increased by 41.6% from last year, despite trade declining by 9.6% for farmers since last year. This crisis is pushing farmers to the edge.”
Cllr O'Reilly continued “Many farmers are worried about how they’re going to keep their farm operational due to spiralling input costs. Despite many farmers already working at a loss or barely breaking even, the government continues to put hurdles in front of farmers. To keep rural communities alive and to safeguard our own food-security and economy, we must do more for farmers during this crisis. “
“The Government needs to stop blaming farmers for every problem under the sun and recognise that there is a serious hardship in our agriculture sector. My party have been strong in our opposition to the Climate Action Bill and the implementation of a carbon tax during an energy crisis. There must be a serious response to this crisis.” Concluded Cllr O'Reilly
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