Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Families, workers, farmers and small businesses have all been struggling with the cost of living for months or years even. They have struggled with rents, childcare, insurance and mortgage interest, and Irish workers have paid among the highest costs and rates in Europe for some time now. Added to this, electricity, heating and fuel costs have steadily risen over the past year, leading to a cost-of-living crisis becoming evident by the beginning of this year. That crisis has now become a cost-of-living emergency. Those workers, families, farmers and businesses are now facing challenges beyond anything they have ever experienced.

Since last September I have raised concerns about input costs for farmers with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy McConalogue, and his Government. Since January, the Minister has been responding to my appeals for action on farm costs with promises of appropriate solutions but they have yet to materialise. Just two weeks ago, the Government rejected Sinn Féin's motion to scrap the carbon tax increase that is due in May. Rather than taking action on farm input costs and addressing the new supply crisis resulting from the criminal Russian invasion of Ukraine, our agriculture Minister was out flying kites about all farmers growing grain, which is a very ill-thought out solution. He finally pulled together farm organisations last night and we were all eager to hear his proposals but he did not have any. Instead, all the Government is offering to family farmers is a 2 cent per litre cut on agricultural diesel, which is insulting.

What is required now is leadership from the Government and real supports to allow farmers help us meet an emerging international food shortage, which will lead to a substantial increases in grocery bills. What we need are real supports to help our families and workers get through the cost-of-living crisis. Instead, what did we get from the biggest cheerleader of increased costs on Irish families? The Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, suggested that people should drive more slowly. I hope time will be made available to allow the Minister, Deputy Ryan, come before the House to inform farmers of what speed precisely they should drive their tractors in order to reduce their fuel costs.

Tonight, ultimately, the Government Deputies will have yet another opportunity to finally be on the side of workers, families, businesses and farmers. Otherwise, they can again prove that this Government is out of touch, out of ideas and, increasingly, running out of road.

See this speech in context