Reprieve on the Cards for Fodder Transportation
Farmers facing a €10m hike in the cost of transporting fodder could be given a reprieve this week as Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar considers giving an exemption from the recently introduced maximum trailer height for livestock feed.
It is understood that Minister Varadkar is contemplating an exemption for dried fodder such as hay and straw, which would be widely welcomed by farmers.
It is believed that the exemption would only apply to fodder transported in uncovered loads.
The new 4.65m height restriction on trailers, which came into force on November 1st last, is severely impacting on the amount of fodder that can be transported on trailers.
Under the new height rule, only two rows of 4×4 round bales are legal on lorries and large, square bales, typically three feet high, are only legal when loaded three high on most trailers.
The rule, as it stands, is estimated to be adding €300-€400 to every load of fodder transported in the country.
(Source – Irish Independent – Caitriona Murphy – Tuesday, 17 December 2013)
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