WATCH: On the ground interview with Councillor Michael Brennan at the M8 fuel protest

Labour councillor Michael Brennan has warned that surging fuel costs are placing mounting strain on key sectors of the rural economy, as protests continue across the country.

Speaking from the scene of a fuel protest on the M8 near Cashel, the Labour representative pointed to the knock on effects of rising prices.

Road hauliers, alongside those in agriculture and transport, are among the hardest hit. Individuals attempting to build homes are also feeling the pressure.

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Cllr Brennan noted the presence of a significant number of bus operators at the protest. Many of these providers, particularly those involved in school transport, remain tied to fixed price contracts agreed before the recent spike in fuel costs, leaving them exposed to rising expenses.

Agricultural contractors, he added, are entering one of the busiest periods of their working year under considerable financial strain.

Despite a modest reduction of 3c in the cost of agricultural diesel under the Government’s relief package, those he spoke to said the increase in operating costs would have to be passed on to farmers.

The impact is also being felt in the construction sector. Cllr Brennan said a road haulier he spoke with had been told that the cost of building his brother’s house would rise by €25,000 as a direct result of the current crisis.

Cllr Brennan, who has also spoken on RTÉ Radio One’s Liveline programme about the issue, argued that Government measures to date have fallen short. He said reductions in diesel and petrol had already been overtaken by further price increases in recent weeks.

Reflecting on the protest, Cllr Brennan said it had laid bare a growing divide between urban and rural Ireland.

“Rural Ireland depends on haulage for every basic necessity — food, farm inputs, construction materials, and employment. Urban Ireland depends on movement and public transport. When either is disrupted, the impact is immediate.

“What today shows clearly is that the pressures facing the haulage sector are not isolated. They are national. And unless those pressures are addressed, the divide between urban and rural responses will only deepen,” he added.

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