Social Democrats food spokesperson Jennifer Whitmore will today introduce the Agri-Food Regulator (Amendment) Bill 2026, which would grant the AgriFood regulator greater powers to investigate price gouging.
Speaking ahead of its introduction, Deputy Whitmore said:
“Families around the country are enduring an immense struggle just to put food on the table, with prices for staples continuing to soar.
“The government has said it will use every lever at its disposal to tackle rising prices. Yet, it has ignored repeated pleas from the AgriFood regulator to give it more powers to investigate price gouging.
“Last year, Agriculture Minister Martin Heydon said he was finally going to give the regulator the power it needs to investigate skyrocketing prices – but it recently transpired that his measure will not be ready until December.
“This is just the latest example of a complete lack of urgency from the government when it comes to tackling the cost-of-living crisis. As an Opposition TD, I have been able to draft legislation that would give the regulator the power it needs and introduce it 12 months before the government can get its act together.
“The CSO’s Consumer Price Index for December 2025 shows that butter, milk and bread, among other essentials, all cost far more than they did the year previously – and prices are continuing to rise.
“Those struggling to put food on the table cannot wait another year before the introduction of these powers. I’m asking for cross-party support for my Bill today so that the regulator can get on with its job of tackling gouging and addressing skyrocketing prices.”
January 20th, 2026