Below is a snapshot of information outlined in the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine‘s Grocery Goods Sector Report, entitled ‘Increasing equity and transparency in producer-processor-retailer relationships’, which was published this morning.

Since 2008, more than 50,000 people have lost their jobs in the Irish retail sector
Retail sector still the largest employer in the State, 250,000 people
86 per cent Irish retail businesses have fewer than 10 employees
86 per cent of Irish retail businesses are Irish owned
Estimate total worth of the Irish food grocery market was €7.1bn in 2011
According to Eurostat, price levels for consumer good and services 17-18 per cent higher in Ireland than the EU average. In 2008, Ireland was 38 per cent above the EU average
In Ireland, 80 per cent of the retail grocery trade is controlled by three players – Tesco, Musgraves and Dunnes. Across Europe, however, this not unusual, it said. In some Baltic States, two players have 80 per cent of the market share. in Sweden three retailers have 80 per cent market share, in Denmark, three retailers have 90 per cent of the market.
Between 1995 and 2011, the price percentage that primary producers are receiving has fallen from 43 per cent to 32 per cent, with the figure dipping below 30 per cent in 2009 and 2012. 
Between 1995 and 2011, the price of milk increased from 77 cent per litre to 111 cent per litre but in the same period the price received by the producer decreased from 32.8 cent to 32.5 cent. 

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