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conscious of the pressures that farmers are facing when it comes to fuel costs. Therefore, the fuel income support scheme for farmers and agricultural contractors and related horticulture and fisheries schemes are being extended to cover a further five-month period this year, at a cost

what he has done, like I asked on 24 March and 25 March when the Government did nothing at all for farmers and agricultural contractors, but it had to when it was forced to come out, even though it put the Garda and the Army after people

investment in the viability of family farms and the communities that depend on them. When a farm is viable it supports agricultural contractors, machinery businesses, vets, hauliers, merchants, local shops and services. The money circulates through the rural community and economy and remains within it. When farming

would always like more in a budget and so on. The Deputy mentioned contractors. I am the first Minister for agriculture to design a scheme that contractors can apply for. Some 3,000 contractors availed of the fuel income support in the first half of this year

Irish agriculture has gone through a very difficult year with rising input costs and severe weather impacting the sector. The Minister has an opportunity to provide assistance for farmers at this difficult time. The reopening of the fuel support scheme is some assistance in the short term … failed to provide any fuel support for farmers or contractors in budget 2027. It is only until the end of this year. Farmers will still be driving tractors on 1 January and the failure of the Government to cut the carbon tax on green diesel will penalise

estimated cost of €73 million. This scheme has been vital to support the sector. The fuel income support scheme for farmers and farm contractors will also be extended to December 2026. An EU exceptional aid scheme will be introduced to compensate farmers impacted by higher fertiliser and energy … costs, with €15.3 million in EU funding being topped up by 200% with €30.8 million in Exchequer funding from the existing Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine allocation. The programme for Government commits to bringing down the cost of childcare to €200 per child per month. This

will be able to qualify for it who could not qualify for it before. That is a good thing. With regard to agriculture, I welcome the extension of the fuel subvention scheme. People who applied before and received money will be able to apply for further funding … people into the net because the funding was set aside for it and we should be able to direct that at farmers and contractors who maybe did not qualify before. This must be looked at. Very positively, the carbon tax on home heating oil is reverting

Brien. He said the scheme was being worked on but that he was not responsible for it, and that the Minister for agriculture, Deputy Heydon, was not responsible for it either. In all the signals the Tánaiste has been giving lately about the budget, he seems to have … civil engineering companies, and even small sole traders, are struggling owing to the savage increase in the cost of green diesel. These contractors and operators are involved in building houses and roads, sewerage and water schemes, industrial units and factories, and in energy projects involving wind, solar

farmers and contractors I met this week feel it is not enough and they certainly were not happy with the budget. They pointed out that as we hold the Presidency of the EU we really need to be very forceful in negotiations, which I hope we will … which is a real threat for the future in Ireland. Ireland's traditional family farm has been there for about 130 years, and agriculture in Ireland goes back 6,000 years. It is facing an existential threat. This is what many people feel. Three million have left

tillage sector is an integral part of Irish farming and makes a significant contribution to overall agricultural output, no more so than in Carlow-Kilkenny, which the Deputy represents. The Government recognises the importance of the sector and the challenges it has faced this year and in recent … sudden increase in the cost of marked gas oil, MGO, the Government allocated additional finance to provide meaningful income support for farmers, contractors and fishers. I also made the decision this year in a very constrained budget scenario to meet the additional asks under straw incorporation because

million is still there. The Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation gave it to the Department of agriculture. I see €31 million is being allocated today for a second round of that scheme, which is welcome, but let us be honest with people that … frameworks. What "frameworks" means is where pipes have burst and have to be replaced or where there are leaks. There are contractors, from what I am hearing, who have already told Irish Water that the cost of the pipe they put into the ground has gone

people to fill the posts. This is becoming a major problem. As I have said, we also have to look at agriculture, our primary industry, which was played to today. The IFA leader, Francie Gorman, has welcomed the budget but he is concerned about the overall allocation … area. We also need - I know it is mentioned in the budget and I welcome it - the fuel excise rebate. Construction workers and contractors were not included and are still not included. It has been mentioned that they will be but when will this happen? Some will miss

threshold for service providers; whether his Department has assessed the extent to which the threshold acts as a disincentive for small businesses and agricultural contractors seeking to expand their turnover; and whether any review of the threshold is planned. [74250/26

road transporters support scheme (RTSS) will be extended for new applicants, following the recent announcement that the fuel income support scheme for agricultural contractors and farmers will be extended. [69932/26

Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether the fishing and aquaculture registered vessel fuel support scheme will be extended for the same further five-month period as the fuel income support scheme for farmers and contractors announced in Budget 2027; the amount paid