Blockades by protesters causing havoc with forecourts and pharmacies ‘compromised’
Patiences and fuel tanks are running dry across the country over the continuing blockades by protesters preventing deliveries to petrol stations and pharmacies, write Muiris Ó Cearbhaill, CraigHughes and Brian Mahon.
Forecourts along the west coast are ‘totally compromised’ as protests block key fuel depots and refineries in the face of threats of force by gardaí and the Army.
The country’s largest pharmaceutical supplier has paused all deliveries due to ongoing disruption caused along main roads and motorways by protesters.
The Irish Daily Mail further understands that emergency service vehicles could be parked up by the end of today if blockades on key fuel depots are not cleared.
An Garda Síochána has called for the assistance of the Army in an unprecedented measure to help clear demonstrators. Operations to disperse protesters may get under way this morning following high-level meetings between ministers, Garda management and Army leaders last night.
The Defence Forces "remain on standby" to support the policing response, according to senior Government ministers. Protest groups nationwide disregarded stark warnings that they will face the "full rigours" of the law, threatening to replace and add to the vehicles involved if they are forcibly removed.
The stand-off caused concern among the Government’s emergency response team yesterday, which was told of the serious implications facing the emergency services due to the disruption to fuel deliveries. Pharmacies across the country were last night told by supplier PCO that deliveries would be "temporarily paused" due to the ongoing disruption to main roads.
According to the PCO website, it supplies "almost 95% of Irish retail pharmacies, giving us the highest market penetration of any Irish pharma wholesaler".
"We also supply many HSE and private hospitals," the company says. Senior Government sources said last night that if this continues, it will become "very serious indeed".
Meanwhile, ongoing blockades on fuel depots are preventing deliveries to replenish tanks at petrol stations, which are beginning to run dry, particularly in the west of the country.
A blockade on the Whitegate oil refinery in Co. Cork – the only facility of its kind in Ireland – have locked up around half of the country’s oil reserves at the plant.
Other demonstrations at depots in Fermoy in Co. Cork, docks in Co. Galway, and Foynes in Co. Limerick have further limited the available supply used to replenish fuel tanks at petrol stations.
A statement from the protest group last night confirmed that they intend to continue their demonstrations today. Members of the public were limited in the amount of fuel they could purchase from some stations yesterday while panic buying at forecourts contributed to tanks running dry.
Residents on Achill Island in Co. Mayo have been forced to travel elsewhere to fill up their tanks after their only petrol station ran out of fuel.
Vincent Jennings, head of the Convenience Stores and Newsagents Association, told the Mail that petrol stations along the western seaboard are "totally compromised". He said: "We work on the basis of just-in-time deliveries. You have a finite resource of a petrol tank underground; you have to order a fixed amount for minimal deliveries."
Jennings explained that orders placed for Tuesday, the day protests began, have not arrived, placing petrol stations in a critical situation. "This has been exacerbated by there being a run on the product," he added.
At least one major fuel retailer has warned operators that they may be forced to close, the Mail understands. Kevin McPartlan, head of the industry group Fuels For Ireland, warned that filling stations may shut down operations should blockades continue.
Senior government sources told the Mail that the Government’s emergency response team fear that fire trucks and ambulances may be parked up by today over fuel constraints.
A statement from the National Emergency Coordination Group (NECG) said the issue of fuel supplies for emergency services is of "serious concern" to the State.
It said that should blockades continue to impact emergency services, which rely on fuel cards to pay for petrol from forecourts, it "may have consequent impacts" on services.
The HSE said several patients have missed medical appointments, including for cancer-related care. Speaking on Newstalk, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, the Health Minister, said: "Our biggest issue at the moment actually is fuel for ambulances, which is becoming a deteriorating situation in the midwest and in the west of the country. The HSE is actively monitoring everything in each region, and I’m getting updates from each region as to what’s being impacted."
Carroll MacNeill said the Government and HSE’s "chief concern" was ensuring patients accessed time-sensitive treatments, particularly for oncology care. "For example, the cancer buses, as it’s colloquially known, between Sligo and Galway, which is part-funded by the State, wasn’t able to travel [on Wednesday]," she said. "That impacts people in terms of getting their cancer treatments."
Demonstrations continued for a third day yesterday as groups from the agri-contracting, farming, construction and haulage sectors continued their demands for additional supports.
Among the calls made by protesters are further reductions to excise duties, a scrap to carbon taxes on fuel and a cap being placed on the price per litre.
Rising fuel prices, sparked by the US-Israeli war on Iran, have resulted in all households and businesses being met with higher bills. Reductions included in a €250m package approved last month have eroded.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said work is under way with official lobby groups to carve out additional supports and called on protesters to stop their actions.
Martin said the Government would refuse to allow the protesters to put a ‘gun’ to its head and ruled out meeting with the group. Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald lay blame for the fuel shortages on the Government’s lack of engagement with demonstrators.
She urged the Government to "pick up the phone" and speak with protesters blocking fuel depots and motorways. In the first public signs of a crack in the Government backbenches,
Seán Fleming, a longtime Fianna Fáil TD from Laois, called for the capping of the price of a litre of diesel. Assistant Garda operations commissioner Shawna Coxon said protesters will face "the full rigours of the law" if they continue their actions.
Forecourts and pharmacies have been compromised by the protests. (Pic: Getty Images)
A meeting took place between Garda management; the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, Rossa Mulcahy; Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan; and Minister for Defence Helen McEntee to discuss the response last night.
The Justice Minister said that the protesters needed to "cop on" to the damage their actions were causing to other citizens and their livelihoods.
(Pic: Eamonn Farrell / © RollingNews.ie)
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