*Cllr Alan O’Callaghan (FF).
A KILMURRY oil distributor and ex Mayor of Clare has warned that the country is heading for a recession amid the rising costs of fuel.
Immediate practical measures need to be introduced by the Government according to Cllr Alan O’Callaghan (FF) who has been elected as a Fianna Fáil councillor in three successive elections in the Killaloe Municipal District.
He was the only elected member of Clare County Council present at the Banner Plaza on Tuesday morning when a convoy of hundreds of vehicles took off to commence their protest over the rising cost of fuel and oil.
Criticism of owners of service stations for price gouging was inaccurate, Cllr O’Callaghan said. “My heart goes out to the business locally, the contractors are facing into real challenging times. I know the fuel game inside out, it is tough, the margins are small, petrol stations are being blamed at the minute which I feel is very unfair they are being blamed for price gouging and people are putting up their prices which I don’t agree with. Looking at the markets, it is gone up 17c since last Thursday plus the VAT which hasn’t even been put onto the petrol stations yet and in fairness they are being honourable”.
Elderly people are worried about having heat and a bite to eat, O’Callaghan stated. “It is going to be an awful blow to the farming sector and anyone that does business, the bus companies here are tied into contracts for school runs, as simple as someone doing a bit of home help to visit someone a couple of times a week, all those people doing the great work are all caught up in this. I deliver oil myself, for an older person all they want is a bit of heat and something to eat, they are the two main things in life when you shove on and they are struggling to pay 250 or 260 litres and hoping to get €500 for it.
“When fuel is cheaper we have more margins out of it, the margins at the minute are so tight. You can see from the crowds, people are frustrated and are trying to do business, the weather isn’t favourable at the minute, people have cattle in sheds, there is slurry to be put out and there is a lot of work to be done yet. In Newmarket-on-Fergus, they are doing the sewerage works at the minute and the company are tied into a contract, they have big machines breaking road which is costing an extra €70 to €100 per day just to keep diesel, that is €400 per week. A set of tyres for a tractor has gone up €500 per tyre so it is €2000 more for the whole tractor, where is it going to stop, it is very frustrating and everybody is affected. This is a peaceful protest and people will be impacted, it is a cry for help to the Government, we’re great to give humanitarian aid to other countries when something manmade goes wrong, this is manmade by the workings of certain people with a war, we need the aid now to keep the show going,” he added.
His political party are in Government but O’Callaghan was adamant more needs to be done by those in power. “They need to start thinking straight away how we are going to deal with this. I can understand in a way, there is no cap on this, next week could be gone another 20 or 30 cent, where do you cap, in a month’s time we could be paying €3 for a litre of white diesel or will we be able to get it at all, there is a lot of uncertainty at the minute. We’re in dire straits, other countries across the world are beginning to slow down, I’m afraid to say it but we could be facing a recession here, that is the problem. The builder providers, people providing concrete blocks, bitumen for Clare County Council is all gone up, it isn’t just two or three percent, it is ten or fifteen with everything going up, it is scary times ahead of us and we’re in a crisis as it is to build houses, we’ll be in a bigger crisis with the costs”.
Controlled and proper measures must be introduced immediately, Alan maintained. “Someone needs to step in straight away or put in practical measures that can be backdated to the first of March, something proper needs to be put in place. Farmers are struggling, the diesel volumes are so big, we fill our heating oil and if you are full you are nearly done for the year or hoping you would be, 1000 litres to some of these machines is only a half day’s work, the volume is massive. They are always battling the weather, a silage contractor doesn’t know from Monday to Sunday until the weather comes as to what he needs or what he will burn, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday he could be doing nothing and then the fine weather comes and he could be flat out morning, noon and night, there’s no control over it because they are battling with elements and weather, it is scary to keep these machines going. Cattle are still in so silage will be scarce, we won’t be facing into May or June with a surplus of silage from last year, that is all gone, we’re on a minus before we start this year’s silage season. Controlled and proper measures are needed”.
