Dan Boyle (Cork South Central, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 72: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the estimate of the increase of food prices between March 2006 and March 2007; if she has quantified the reason for these increases; the action she will take to temper these increases; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9143/07]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The most recent annual data available from the Central Statistics Office relate to 2006 when food and non-alcoholic beverages prices, as measured by the food price index, increased by 1.4% on average. This is a lower level of increase than the overall annual rate of inflation, as measured by the consumer price index, which averaged 4.0% during the year. In the period since mid 2002, the food price index has recorded a consistently lower level of increase than the overall consumer price index.

Within the food price index for 2006, large increases were evident for beef (+9.7%) and fresh vegetables (+11.1%). Decreases were recorded in categories such as biscuits (-3.0%), bread and cereals (-0.2%) and butter (-2.6%).

Changes in food prices are primarily a function of market forces at international, EU and national levels.