Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I have given the Deputy the context, which is that the CCPC has recommended to me that we should not go down the route of price caps and so on. There are other things we can do, which the State could and should potentially look at in the future, if competition in this market is not working for consumers. Let us see how the retail sector responds today. Again, I want to be very clear that primary producers of food should not be the ones squeezed in this. They have seen significant input costs. They have seen some increases in the prices of the products they are selling, particularly in the dairy sector, although that has gone right back down again in recent months, but the profit margins for primary producers generally are not high. We need to protect that sector in the context of the debate we are having and in talking to senior executives and decision-makers in the retail sector.