The carbon tax in the Republic is exacting a heavy toll on the mushroom industry according to reports from near and far.
Fresh Info reports that the tax is directly responsible for the closure of the mushroom farm at Belmullet. Transport costs are cited as one of the biggest blows to the far western enterprise. The tax, which came into effect from May 1st, will also force up the price of heating fuel and electricity.
“It’s a double whammy for growers,” said Noel Heavey of Greenfield Mushrooms in County Kildare. “We can’t reclaim the extra costs because retailers, in both the home and UK markets, won’t entertain any price rises, and they are in a position to dictate terms.
A greener world is the desired goal, but the cost of getting to that destination may cripple the industries that the country relies on to survive economically.
Perhaps we need a tax on the government’s brains to come up with a solution that’s both economically and ecologically healthy.
