Warning on use of green diesel in field cars

GALWAY IFA has advised farmers that they can face prosecution for using marked diesel oil (tractor diesel) even in old field cars that never go on the road.

Roy O’Brien, Galway/Mayo IFA Regional Officer, told the Farming Tribune that this follows on from the recent case of a Galway farmer who had a 16-year-old field car ‘dipped’ by Customs Officials.

“There is a difference in the customs regulations as regards the use of green diesel between the South and North of Ireland.

“In the North, farmers are entitled to use green diesel in vehicles for short journeys in their cars and jeeps between different portions of their land, but that is not the case here,” said Roy O’Brien.

The issue was highlighted when Customs Officials arrived at the farmyard of a Galway farmer and dipped a car that he was using exclusively for small herding jobs on his own farm.

Although he told the Customs Officials that the car was never used on a public road and consequently had no tax or insurance, he was informed that the use of green diesel in the vehicle was still illegal.

The case reported recently in the Irish Farmers Journal, has attracted a lot attention from farmers, many of whom have field vehicles that are never used on the public road.

It is understood that the farmer in question was ‘hit’ with a fine of €1,000 that he could challenge in court – however if he lost that, he was told, that the fine could increase from between €2,500 to €5,000.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.