'Grocery prices in Ireland hiked overnight and men don't seem to get it'
Consumer expert Conor Pope told recently how we're paying 40% more for shopping than we were in 2021. A weekly trolley that used to cost €150 now costs €225. That's an extra €3,000 a year on groceries, for exactly the same stuff.
I reckon Pope is one of the few men who gets it. Apologies for the mass generalisation lads, but male eyes tend to glaze over if I say a package of coffee now costs €11, or a single fillet steak is now €16.60 in my local Tesco.
They nod their heads, make sympathetic noises, but they haven't a baldy what I'm on about. Because they're generally not the ones who spend half their lives in and out of SuperValu, Tesco and Dunnes.
I meet the odd fella who loves the bargains in Lidl, but most men hate supermarkets and their main aim is to get in and out of them as quickly as possible.
They don't usually have a collection of clubcards, apps and money-off vouchers, working out how to buy the weekly shop on special offers.
They're often the ones footing the bill, as men are still most likely to be the main breadwinners. But if you're not in the aisles, then you're not seeing food inflation play out in real time, not clocking its relentless rise.
So I understand why an exasperated Mary Lou McDonald went postal over it in the Dail on Wednesday. She sounded like she was banging her head off a brick wall trying to get the message across to Taoiseach Micheal Martin.
Mary Lou mocked Micheal for saying grocery prices were simply 'at a relatively elevated level' - saying they were through the roof. Groceries were costing families €1,000 a month, she said, which is 'beyond a joke.' Mary Lou McDonald TD, Sinn Fein leader, addressing the Raise the Roof rally, outside Leinster House, Tuesday 17th, June 2025. (Image: COLLINS PHOTO 2025)
The Sinn Fein leader has made this a crusade - previously highlighting how butter is now a euro more than it was last year, and how a kilo of chicken that was €4.99 in 2022 is now €11. Micheal did the serious politician reaction, talking about global pressures and trades and tariffs and how the Government is limited in its ability.
But that's no use to anyone. That's holding up your hands, helpless, saying: 'Nothing we can do.'
That's a cop out. This is not happening at this rate everywhere, and it's disingenuous and dismissive to frame it so. We've all been away and noticed the huge difference at European checkouts. Figures released last month reveal food prices here are the third highest in the EU at almost 15% above average.
Meat prices are up here 22% in the past year. Why? Supermarkets have denied accusations of price gouging, but in a climate like this, gouging is a real risk. Junior retail minister Alan Dillon acknowledged the impact on consumers and promised action, including new fines.
We should come down hard on anyone in breach. But we should also be investigating why price hikes happened almost overnight. And why are some items far cheaper in small shops or convenience stores than they are in major supermarkets?
In the meantime, it seems to me prices will continue to rise as long as we continue to pay them.
I think the Government will be forced to put a cost-of-living package together, but only for the most in need. The squeezed middle will have to try to find ways around it.
It's up to the consumer to limit the impact in the only way we can - buying special offers, giving up most expensive goods and switching to cheaper own brand products. If enough of us refuse to buy into food inflation, things will change.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
3 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
Trump tells Europe to ‘get your act together' on immigration before US-EU trade talks
Intensive negotiations were continuing on Saturday between the EU and the US before a crunch meeting in Scotland between Donald Trump and the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, to avert a costly trade war. Trump spent the night at his family-owned Turnberry golf resort on a private visit, but took time to criticise European leaders over wind turbines and immigration, claiming there won't be a Europe unless they 'get their act together'. 'I say two things to Europe. Stop the windmills. You're ruining your countries. I really mean it, it's so sad. You fly over and you see these windmills all over the place, ruining your beautiful fields and valleys and killing your birds,' he said. 'On immigration, you better get your act together,' he said. 'You're not going to have Europe any more.' On Saturday morning, he abandoned a scheduled meeting with the press, who travelled with him on Air Force One, for a round of golf at his seaside course with music blaring from the buggy he drove. Sky News, stationed next to the course, reported the songs included Billy Joel's Uptown Girl, Elaine Paige's Memory and Simon and Garfunkel's Bridge over Troubled Water. Billed as a four-day family visit to Scotland, Trump is meeting European leaders and the British prime minister, Keir Starmer, raising hopes of new and refined trade deals with the EU and the UK. People take part in a Stop Trump Scotland protest outside the US Consulate in Edinburgh, as US President Donald Trump begins his five-day private trip to the country at his Turnberry golf course in South Ayrshire. Picture: Jane Barlow/PA Wire On the prospects of an EU trade deal, the US president has said there were '20 sticking points'. When asked what they were, he said: 'Well, I don't want to tell you what the sticking points are.' He described von der Leyen as a 'highly respected woman' and said the meeting on Sunday with the EU chief would be 'good', rating the chances of a deal as 'a good 50-50'. It is understood von der Leyen and her aides will fly in on Saturday, with the European trade commissioner, Maroš Šefčovič, arriving on Sunday morning. It is expected the deal will centre on an outline agreement in principle over 15% tariff rates for exports including cars, but with a 50% tariff continuing on steel. There may also be a breakthrough deal on pharmaceuticals, setting a rate of 15% for exports. Although this would breach a longstanding World Trade Organization agreement that medicines are rated at a zero tariff, it would be a far cry from the 200% tariff Trump threatened to impose on pharmaceuticals earlier this month. People take part in a Stop Trump Scotland protest outside the US Consulate in Edinburgh, as US President Donald Trump begins his five-day private trip to the country at his Turnberry golf course in South Ayrshire. Picture: Jane Barlow/PA Wire This would have triggered a highly damaging trade war not just with Ireland, where many US multinationals are based, but Germany, Denmark, Belgium, France and Spain. Read More Israeli air strikes in Gaza Strip leave at least 25 dead, health officials say Von der Leyen's spokesperson, Paula Pinho, said: 'Intensive negotiations at technical and political [level] have been ongoing between the EU and US. Leaders will now take stock and consider the scope for a balanced outcome that provides stability and predictability for businesses and consumers on both sides of the Atlantic.' It is believed the meeting will be held in Aberdeenshire and will be followed by a series of meetings with Starmer on Monday, with hopes he will widen the bare bones trade deal he struck in May. Trump's arrival in Scotland has required the biggest security operation since Elizabeth II died in 2022. More than 5,000 police and security personnel are involved in the four-day visit with no risks taken after the assassination attempt on the president a year ago. High perimeter fences have been erected around the coastal golf course with naval vessels patrolling the shore while security drones overhead and dozens of security detail staked out the resort early on Saturday. The heavy security presence may be a foretaste of events to come later in August when the US vice-president, JD Vance, and his family arrive for a holiday in the Cotswolds, reportedly in the village of Charlbury. Locals who resisted the expansion of Trump's golf course in the past have asked who would be footing the bill for the security arrangements. - The Guardian
Irish Daily Mirror
3 minutes ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Russia 'preparing to invade new European country' as NATO fears grow
An expert has raised concerns that Russian President Vladimir Putin may be eyeing up another European nation, as the continent remains on edge over possible Russian expansionism. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported in June that Russia is laying the groundwork to potentially justify moves against Moldova and the Baltic states, citing a supposed obligation to defend its "compatriots abroad". This rhetoric echoes the "Russkiy Mir" concept, which promotes the idea of a "Russian world" beyond its borders. This narrative, experts indicate, mirrors the one Putin employed to rationalise the full-scale assault on Ukraine in February 2022. In May, it was highlighted that Russian security forces were still engaging in covert operations against the US and its allies, seen as rehearsals for a more significant conflict with NATO. A cybersecurity warning was issued by the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), alongside intelligence agencies from Germany, Czechia, Poland, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, France, and the Netherlands. It revealed that Russia's GRU had been targeting sectors such as defence, transport, and IT services in NATO countries, as well as Romania, Moldova, and Ukraine. Moldova president Maia Sandu. (Image: Getty) Putin next to Russian navy soldiers. (Image: Getty) Now, specialists are voicing concerns that Russia's ambitions could extend further into eastern Europe, reports the Express. "As a military intelligence analyst specialising in Putin's thinking and Russian military strategy, I agree with Rutte's assessment about Russia's readiness for another offensive military campaign in just a few years," penned Russian-born US intelligence expert Rebekah Koffler in The Telegraph. "I'm less convinced that a NATO country is likely to be the Kremlin's next target, unless the alliance directly intervenes in Ukraine by deploying troops onto the battlefield. "Nevertheless, what NATO does or doesn't do in the next few years could be highly significant in determining whether Putin decides to attack another post-Soviet state - such as Moldova." Koffler cautions that Russia aims to disrupt NATO's "network-centric approach to war" by focusing on the C4ISR (command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) and space systems that are crucial for the organisation's forces. She argues that member states must go beyond merely spending money and instead gain a deeper understanding of the alliance's weaknesses. Moreover, it's important to recognise that the Kremlin tends to employ indirect tactics in confronting its adversaries, rather than outright aggression. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Decision on EU-US trade deal now rests with Trump
After months of intensive talks and shuttle diplomacy, a trade agreement between the European Union and the US now rests mostly on Donald Trump. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will travel to Scotland to meet the US president on Sunday, as the two sides aim to conclude a deal ahead of Friday's deadline, at which point 30% tariffs on the bloc's exports to the US are otherwise due to kick in. 'Intensive negotiations at technical and political have been ongoing,' said Paula Pinho, von der Leyen's spokesperson. 'Leaders will now take stock and consider the scope for a balanced outcome that provides stability and predictability for businesses and consumers on both sides of the Atlantic.' EU officials have repeatedly cautioned that a deal ultimately rests with Trump, making the final outcome difficult to predict. The US president recently negotiated with Japan and appeared to change certain final terms on the fly before a deal was eventually agreed earlier this week. The EU and US have been zeroing in on an agreement over the past week that would see the EU face 15% tariffs on most of its trade with the US. Limited exemptions are expected for aviation, some medical devices and generic medicines, several spirits, and a specific set of manufacturing equipment that the US needs. Steel and aluminum imports would likely benefit from a quota under the arrangements under discussion, but above that threshold they would face a higher tariff of 50%. Alongside a universal levy, the US president has hit cars and auto parts with a 25% levy, and steel and aluminum with double that. He's also threatened to target pharmaceuticals and semiconductors with new duties as early as next month, and recently announced a 50% tariff on copper. The EU is expecting the same 15% ceiling on some sectors that could be the target of future tariffs, including pharmaceuticals, according to people familiar with the matter. But that's one of the key points where Trump's position will be crucial to a deal being sealed, the people added. 'We'll see if we make a deal,' Trump said as he arrived in Scotland on Friday. 'Ursula will be here, highly respected woman. So we look forward to that.' Trump reiterated that he believed there's 'a 50-50 chance' of a deal with the EU, saying there were sticking points on 'maybe 20 different things' that he didn't want to detail publicly. 'That would be actually the biggest deal of them all if we make it,' the president said. Trump gave similar chances of an agreement with European negotiators before leaving Washington, but also said the EU had a 'pretty good chance' of reaching an agreement. The US president announced tariffs on almost all US trading partners in April, declaring his intent to bring back domestic manufacturing, pay for a massive tax-cut extension, and stop the rest of the world from — as Trump has characterized it — taking advantage of the US. In addition to levies, any agreement would cover non-tariff barriers, cooperation on economic security matters, and strategic purchases by the EU in sectors such as energy and artificial intelligence chips. The bloc has also offered to remove tariffs on many industrial goods and non-sensitive agricultural imports. The terms of any initial deal, which is likely to take the form of a short joint statement if agreed upon, would need to be approved by member states, some of the people said. The statement would be seen as a stepping stone toward more detailed talks. Because of the ongoing uncertainty, the EU has in parallel sketched out countermeasures in the event of a no-deal scenario. That would see it quickly hit American exports with up to 30% tariffs on some €100 billion worth of goods — including Boeing aircraft, US-made cars and bourbon whiskey — in the event of a no-deal, and if Trump carries through with his threat to impose that rate on most of the bloc's exports after Aug. 1 or in future. The package also includes some export restrictions on scrap metals. In a no-deal scenario, the bloc is also prepared to move forward with its anti-coercion instrument, a potent trade tool that would eventually allow it to target other areas such as market access, services and restrictions on public contracts, provided a majority of member states backs its use. While Trump didn't explicitly link negotiations to non-trade matters on Friday, he did suggest that he planned to raise concerns over migration flows. Trump has imposed strict anti-immigration policies since returning to office, carrying out a mass deportation effort of those in the US illegally while also narrowing pathways to legally move to the US. 'You got to stop this horrible invasion that's happening to Europe, many countries in Europe,' Trump said, adding that he believed 'this immigration is killing Europe.' Bloomberg
