Newry and Armagh DUP Assemblyman and Stormont Agriculture Committee member William Irwin has criticised the budget announcement that fuel prices will rise by an extra 3p per litre from 1st August. Speaking to Newry Times, Irwin said, “The Coalition has really struck a body blow to rural dwellers and farmers in Northern Ireland, especially when you consider that Northern Ireland has the highest fuel prices in the whole of Europe. Energy prices are continuing to rise and there is no way to avoid the costs of fuel and I feel that David Cameron knows we can’t do without fuel and therefore it is a very soft target for extra revenue.”