Rising costs for farmers lamented while Firmus gas customers also see bills hiked up
A former UFU president has described the rising cost of bills as “horrendous”.
Victor Chestnutt was speaking after the Consumer Council revealed this week that home heating oil has gone up sharply, as has diesel, while petrol prices have reached their highest point since the Iran war began.
On top of this, Firmus Energy announced yesterday that it will be hiking up gas bills by between about 9% and 12.5%, depending where customers live.
Mr Chestnutt, a livestock farmer from Co Antrim who led the UFU from 2020 to 2022, said the spiralling prices are “absolutely horrendous”.
“We can’t do without it – we have to buy it,” he said of the fuel.
“But with the price of this diesel, things will very soon not add up.”
When it comes to something like a white diesel vehicle being used to tow a trailer, it currently costs about 42% more to fill up a tank now than it did when the war began.
In February, the average price of diesel in the Province was about 133ppl, before hitting a high in spring of 188.1ppl in April, then falling to about 155ppl by early July.
It has since crept up to 175ppl as of Thursday.
Mr Chestnutt added: “In farming, really we talk about the three Fs: fuel, fertiliser and feed. And they’re all rising. And our beef price and our sheep price has softened on last year. Our milk price is well back.
“I think if it will continue long term, it will start to curb the production of local food.”
As of Thursday, 900 litres of heating oil – the main fuel for rural homes – averages out at £869 in NI, up by £75 on the week before. It is down from its post-war peak of £1,089, but before the war it was £537.
Petrol meanwhile was 154.3ppl as of Thursday, up from 153.4ppl a week before – the highest it has been since the war began.