The three biggest Irish chains, Tesco, Dunnes and Superquinn, charge consumers up to three times what farmers are paid for some of their produce, according to a new survey.
The study was carried out by the main opposition party Fine Gael, which is campaigning against high prices,.
It found that, on average, the chains’ mark-up on the farm price for basic food items was 119%. In some cases, the cost to the consumer was 350% more than the farmgate price.
Party spokesman Billy Timmins called for an independent investigation into retail margins.
Official statistics, he claimed, showed that food prices had risen by 26% over the past seven years, while farmgate prices were unchanged.
But the retail sector has rejected any suggestion of overcharging and has attributed the price difference to rising costs faced by stores.
Turlough O’Sullivan, spokesman for the multiples’ trade federation Retail Ireland, said that supermarket prices reflected the large increases in costs, such as labour and insurance, which the sector had experienced in recent years. “We are now an expensive country to do business in,” he added.
In the Fine Gael survey, the biggest margin over farmgate prices was on a kilo of potatoes, with a Tesco mark-up of 350%, Superquinn 300% and Dunnes 70%. And on a kilo of beef, the Tesco mark-up was 139%, with its two rivals at 140% and 152% mark-up respectively.
The survey found that lettuce cost 79% more in the three chains than the price paid to producers, while the mark-up on cabbage was 155%, cauliflower 181% and 193% on carrots. Milk had a mark-up of 126%.
The 80,000-strong Irish Farmers’ Association welcomed the survey findings.
A spokesman warned: “We are no longer prepared to put up with low prices for high quality food. We are not going to be passive about this.”
The study was carried out by the main opposition party Fine Gael, which is campaigning against high prices,.
It found that, on average, the chains’ mark-up on the farm price for basic food items was 119%. In some cases, the cost to the consumer was 350% more than the farmgate price.
Party spokesman Billy Timmins called for an independent investigation into retail margins.
Official statistics, he claimed, showed that food prices had risen by 26% over the past seven years, while farmgate prices were unchanged.
But the retail sector has rejected any suggestion of overcharging and has attributed the price difference to rising costs faced by stores.
Turlough O’Sullivan, spokesman for the multiples’ trade federation Retail Ireland, said that supermarket prices reflected the large increases in costs, such as labour and insurance, which the sector had experienced in recent years. “We are now an expensive country to do business in,” he added.
In the Fine Gael survey, the biggest margin over farmgate prices was on a kilo of potatoes, with a Tesco mark-up of 350%, Superquinn 300% and Dunnes 70%. And on a kilo of beef, the Tesco mark-up was 139%, with its two rivals at 140% and 152% mark-up respectively.
The survey found that lettuce cost 79% more in the three chains than the price paid to producers, while the mark-up on cabbage was 155%, cauliflower 181% and 193% on carrots. Milk had a mark-up of 126%.
The 80,000-strong Irish Farmers’ Association welcomed the survey findings.
A spokesman warned: “We are no longer prepared to put up with low prices for high quality food. We are not going to be passive about this.”
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