Overview
- Major grocers, which lowered prices Thursday, matched Lidl’s move to reduce own-brand milk and butter across Ireland.
- Tesco, SuperValu and Centra, and Aldi set two-litre milk at €2.25 and a 454g butter block at €2.99 after drops of 10c and 40c, following months when a pound of butter had neared €5.
- Farm groups on Friday called the cuts “tone deaf” and “a kick in the teeth,” with the IFA seeking government support for liquid milk producers after a reported 32% fall in fresh milk farmers over a decade.
- Lidl and Tesco said they are passing on lower input costs, with industry sources citing flat dairy commodity prices since August and RTÉ noting higher global milk supply last year.
- Analysts warned grocery bills could still climb because of the war in the Middle East, with one estimate suggesting families may pay up to €700 more a year even after these reductions.