Farmers have been urged to fill up their fuel tanks now to avoid getting caught out by the much-anticipated rise in fuel duty expected in the autumn budget.
Businesses that buy their fuel in bulk are set to be in for a 'very painful shock' if the new Labour government goes ahead with an increase fuel duty.
This has been frozen since 2011; however, the cash-strapped government has yet to rule out an increase later this month as part of the budget.
Making the warning to farmers is Yorkshire-based fuel distributor Craggs Energy, which has pointed to a 'much-anticipated' rise of up to 10p per litre.
This would occur if the chancellor unveiled an increase in fuel duty by 5p/litre and removed the temporary 5p/litre cut in fuel duty introduced under the Conservative government in March 2022.
Removing the 5p discount alone would bring the Treasury an additional £2 billion a year.
It follows warnings from the prime minister that the government’s budget on 30 October is going to be 'painful', with people having to accept 'short-term pain for long-term good'.
In the run-up to the general election, Sir Kier Starmer refused to rule out a fuel duty increase.
Craggs Energy said businesses that buy their fuel in bulk – including agricultural contractors and farmers operating agricultural equipment – should take action now by ordering fuel deliveries ahead of 30 October.
At a 10p/litre increase in fuel duty, businesses could face extra costs of hundreds or even thousands of pounds, it warned.
Some of its larger customers, who typically order 18,000 litres of fuel, would see a £1,800 increase on orders arriving after midnight on 30 October.
Matthew Crockett, managing director of the fuel distributor, said businesses that order early would be able to avoid the 'painful' uplift in fuel duty, as well as the potential for last-minute panic buying.
He said: “The key is to ensure that deliveries arrive before midnight on 30 October, after which they will be subject to any fuel duty increase announced in the budget.
"Our worry is that many businesses and farms will be exceptionally busy at this time of year. For them it could be all too easy to fail to order fuel in good time, costing them dearly.
"We want to help avoid that by getting the message out there so that businesses order ahead to avoid what could otherwise be a very expensive oversight.”
