There was no change in food prices last month in Ireland but, over the course of the last 12 months, they have risen by 4.2%, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO) today (Monday, December 1).

Energy prices also rose by 3.3% over the 12 months to the end of December, latest figures suggest today.

Anthony Dawson, statistician in the CSO Prices Division, said: “The latest flash estimate of the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP), compiled by the CSO, indicates that prices for consumer goods and services in Ireland are estimated to have increased by 3.2% in the past year".

CSO

Last month, CSO research also detailed that in particular consumers had seen a jump in the price of butter, cheddar, and full fat milk at the till.

According to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon, his department has "no role in determining or intervening in prices for food commodities at farm gate or retail level".

He has also highlighted that the ultilmate price consumers pay at the till is made up of a number of factors, including the agricultural output price, processing, transportation, packaging, marketing, and retail costs.

According to Minister Heydon, the Agri-Food Regulator, which was established by the government in 2023, also plays an important role in relation to "compliance with, and enforcement of, legislation on unfair trading practices in the agrifood supply chain".

However Joe Healy, chair of the Agri-Food Regulator, has said that the organisation is "disappointed" that it has seen no movement yet on a request it made to Minister Heydon for additional powers to "compel" certain businesses to provide price and market information.

Separately the CSO also recently released preliminary estimates for 2025 which show that the Agricultural Price Output Index is projected to have increased by 15% in 2025 when compared with 2024.

According to the CSO, the rise in output prices were principally driven by a 41% increase in cattle prices, with sheep and milk prices rising by 5%.