Government agrees to meet fuel protestors

It's been four days since the fuel protest started. Talks with the government are planned.

The government is set to meet with representative groups of farmers, agricultural contractors, and the haulage industry later today to discuss the fuel crisis.

There has been no confirmation whether representatives of protesters will be in attendance, but spokesperson James Geoghegan said they would join a meeting of farmers' groups with government.

Despite some protesters saying the protests would be lifted once the government met with them, Geoghegan said the demonstrations would continue regardless.

Farmers and drivers taking part in the action have said they want the carbon tax on green diesel to be removed and the price of fuel to be capped.

Minister for Rural Community Development Dara Calleary said that the invitations to the meeting had been made to official representative bodies only, adding that "if protesters come representing the farm organisations, we're not dictating that they can't come," he said on RTÉ's Morning Ireland.

"The focus of the mission is that we get a resolution to the blockades. We can't have a situation where we have enough fuel in the country and that fuel isn't getting to our citizens."

The meeting is set to take place in the Department of Agriculture in the early afternoon today, April 10. Minister for Transport Darragh O'Brien, Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon, and Minister of State Timmy Dooley are to make an appearance.

Farming organisations, such as the Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA), Irish Farmers' Associations, agricultural contractor representatives, and other bodies will also be in attendance.

The last four days have seen petrol stations running out of diesel. The army was also called in on Thursday to help remove vehicles blocking roads, including Dublin's M50 towards the airport, where people were seen walking with their luggage.

We talked to the protestors in Dublin's O'Connell Street on the first day of the protest.

Check out the video below:

 

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