So Paschal the Rascal has unveiled the most boring, do-almost-nothing budget in history. With the prospect of a crash-out Brexit never higher, all the eggs were being stored in the no-deal rescue package basket. No one could argue with the logic. The key point is that even if an orderly Brexit is somehow achieved, it will itself prove very problematic for farming, and surely will need funding. The €650m promised in a no-deal situation vanishes in that circumstance.

It’s almost traditional that there is confusion about one aspect of the budget on the day. This year it was the carbon tax increase on fuels. Minister Creed said the new measure would not cost farmers in relation to green diesel. That was understood initially to mean that the current arrangement, which sees farmers pay the carbon tax on agri-fuel, but be able to claim it back, would be extended to incorporate the higher rate.

Eagle eyes

Then some eagle eyes spotted that the estimates contained no price increase for green diesel. Could it be exempt? Confusion. Clarity arrived on Wednesday, when it was revealed that the carbon tax, while applying immediately to car diesel and to petrol, will not be introduced for agri-diesel until 1 May 2020. It must be paid by all. The initial interpretation was correct. This means that contractors will be hit with this extra charge just as the silage season swings into action.

A lad might be tempted to fill an emptied slurry tank with 100,000 gallons of agri-diesel (Note to reader – don’t do this, it is meant as a joke. The diesel would leak away and ruin five parishes, and any engine that received a donation from such a store would choke up like a canary in Delhi on a smoggy morning).

There are hidden victims of such measures. For instance, the carbon tax will also hit grain drying by non-farmers. While switching to a renewable source for grain drying is a laudable aim, it’s unfortunate that currently there is no grant-aid for making such a switch. Stick with no carrot. In addition, a farmer with no tax liability has no opportunity to reclaim the cost of the carbon tax.

That all pales into comparison with the big picture. The budget is undeniably boring and effectively neutral. We should all hope next year’s budget is similar. That would mean the nightmare Brexit scenario hasn’t emerged.