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Meat and dairy prices surge amid claims of 'price-gouging'

Meat and dairy prices surge amid claims of 'price-gouging'

Extra.ie​11-07-2025
Meat and dairy prices soared in the last year, latest Central Statistics Office figures show.
A carton of full-fat milk has increased by 27c (from €2.20 to €2.47), while cheese has gone up from €10.39 per kilogram to €11.34.
A pound of butter is also adding extra to Irish grocery bills, costing €3.73 just 12 months ago but increasing to €4.83 this year. Meat and dairy prices soared in the last year, latest Central Statistics Office figures show. Pic: Shutterstock
The CSO also recorded a hefty rise in the price of meat. Customers face a 20% increase in the price of a kilo of roasting beef and a 19% rise in the cost of buying a leg of lamb.
The report also revealed that the price of a pint of stout at a pub had risen by 27 cents, now costing €6.07, with a pint of lager costing €6.49, up from €6.20 last year.
The CSO released the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the month of June 2025. This revealed that the average price of most groceries is on the rise for Irish consumers. A carton of full-fat milk has increased by 27c (from €2.20 to €2.47), while cheese has gone up from €10.39 per kilogram to €11.34. Pic: Shutterstock
The report found that prices for all consumer goods and services had risen by 1.8% compared with June 2024. Making up the bulk of this rise was the Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages sector which saw prices go up by 4.6% since last year.
This means the rate at which food prices are inflating is almost double the rate of inflation for other goods and services across the economy.
The CSO highlighted changes in the national average price for selected groceries from June of 2024. This saw a rise in prices for most common groceries found in Irish supermarkets. A pound of butter is also adding extra to Irish grocery bills, costing €3.73 just 12 months ago but increasing to €4.83 this year. Pic: Getty
The report did outline that some goods, such as fruits and vegetables, had remained unchanged and that the price of potatoes had actually decreased by 29 cents per 2.5 kilograms.
The CSO figures come amid concerns among opposition TDs that major super-
Enhancing existing laws market chains are artificially raising their prices. Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore. Pic: Fran Veale
Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore put forward a motion on Wednesday that would see any supermarket with an annual turnover of €10million or more required to publish its audited financial accounts. This was in response to what Ms Whitmore called clear evidence of 'price gouging'.
Her party colleague, Gary Gannon, echoed her views, saying Irish families were being asked to choose 'between eating and heating'.
Labour TD Ged Nash raised similar concerns, stating that 'if it walks, talks and acts like price-gouging, it very may well be'. Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment Niamh Smyth TD at Government Buildings. Pic: Sam Boal/Collins Photos
The Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Niamh Smyth, responded to the criticisms saying the Government 'acknowledges the concerns regarding rising costs'.
The Fianna Fáil TD said the Government is considering enhancing existing laws to increase fines and make the State's consumer watchdog more 'robust'.
The only sectors where prices were found to have fallen in the CPI were the transport sector, which is down by 2%, and Clothing and Footwear, which has fallen by 2.3%.
CSO figures also showed a decrease in the average price of petrol by nine cent per litre while a litre of diesel had dropped from €1.71 to €1.65.
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