It is essential that the government takes urgent measures in the upcoming budget to halt the rate of food price inflation, which is pushing households to the brink, according to Social Democrats food spokesperson Jennifer Whitmore.<\/p>\n
Deputy Whitmore said:<\/p>\n
\u201cCheese, milk, butter and bread – the essentials – have all continued to rise in price, pulling away from the reach of struggling families.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe astronomical increases in the cost of meat and fish is leaving consumers with no other choice other than to buy lower quality cuts and alternatives, often at the expense of their health.<\/p>\n
\u201cRecent years have seen grocery prices skyrocket – many families are now spending \u20ac3,000 more a year to put food on the table than they were in 2021.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the past year alone, grocery prices have increased at three times the rate of general inflation, heaping huge pressure on individuals and families.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe government last promised action on grocery prices in 2023, when then Minister of State for Retail Neale Richmond gave supermarket chains six weeks to bring prices down – that was a monumental failure, as prices have continued to soar.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn July, the Social Democrats brought a motion to the floor of the D\u00e1il calling for the introduction of legislation requiring all grocery retailers operating in Ireland with an annual turnover above \u20ac10 million to publish full audited yearly financial accounts – the government voted this motion down.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Agri-Food Regulator requested more powers in September 2024 to allow them to undertake their role properly by compelling businesses to provide pricing information upon request.<\/p>\n
“The regulator was then promised these powers, and, when asked before the D\u00e1il’s recess, Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon said that the process of granting these powers was underway – now, on the eve of the next budget, we have still yet to receive a timeline for this action.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn addition, we called on the coalition to monitor and publish regular reports on the impact of this transparency initiative on grocery price inflation and competition in the retail sector – the government found this to be unsavoury.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere continues to be a need for clarity on how much farmers and food producers are being paid for their produce, as it appears that the lion\u2019s share of the profits often goes to the big retailers.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday\u2019s CSO statistics come as thousands of BGE electricity customers will receive news that their unit rates will increase from early October, following an announcement by the company – it is becoming harder and harder to survive in this country.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe upcoming budget must reflect the struggles of ordinary people by making genuine commitments to fighting inflation in the food sector, but also generally, so that those who are struggling to make ends meet may lead a life free from these crippling stresses.\u201d<\/p>\n
September 12th, 2025<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It is essential that the government takes urgent measures in the upcoming budget to halt the rate of food price inflation, which is pushing households to the brink, according to Social Democrats food spokesperson Jennifer Whitmore. Deputy Whitmore said: \u201cCheese, milk, butter and bread – the essentials – have all continued to rise in price, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":13341,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[410,650,268,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13364","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-agriculture","category-cost-of-living","category-jennifer-whitmore","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n