ICOS President Edward Carr welcomes the significant additional supports to the Agri and Transport sectors as a response to the dramatic and ongoing increases in energy costs.

“This additional €100 Green Diesel package, as part of a wider €505m new package, in addition to the previously announced €250m support is very welcome, and will certainly help farmers, contractors and those who haul our produce to cope with the current enormous difficulties.

“I urge government, however, to keep the situation under close review, as current indications suggest that the underlying fuel price is going up, not down. In addition, we need to see strong supports for business, as our co-ops are currently carrying dramatically increased energy and general operating costs. I want to remind Government that this current situation is significantly worse than during the Ukraine crisis, as the underlying milk price is some 20c per litre weaker, and the sector is in no position to absorb additional costs.”

ICOS (the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society) represents co-operatives across Ireland, including dairy processing co-operatives and livestock marts. These organisations collectively generate approximately €16 billion in turnover, with 175,000 members and employment for 12,000 individuals in Ireland, plus an additional 24,000 overseas. In total, Ireland has around 1,000 co-ops, with the largest 100 employing roughly 40,000 people.