The Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) has said that the Government’s rolling back of the concrete levy from 10% to 5% is an acknowledgement of the levy’s flaws.

The levy was announced in Budget 2023, but this week, Government announced the rate at which the levy would be imposed on concrete blocks and readymix would be reduced to 5%.

The 10% rate would have exacerbated the housing crisis and made it difficult for farmers to invest in facilities, the drystock group’s president Dermot Kelleher claimed.

Kelleher renewed calls for a full scrapping of the proposed levy before it comes into effect from September 2023.

'Bad idea'

“Imposing a 10% levy on concrete blocks and mixes was a bad idea from the start, particularly when government policy is to support farmers to increase slurry storage; not to mention the housing crisis,” Kelleher commented.

“The only thing that makes sense is to scrap this levy entirely. It makes zero sense to penalise farmers looking to rise to the climate challenge or those needing to build or acquire a house because of defective blocks sold by certain companies.

“We are in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis and nonsensical financial penalties on those who have done nothing wrong can have no place.”