Grocery Order finally abolished

A GOOD day for Irish consumers with the prospect of reduced grocery prices was how the National Consumer Agency described yesterday’s abolition of the Groceries Order.

But the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association warned that the gain for consumers from a populist measure will be short-lived and will result in further pressure on farmers and Irish food processors and manufacturers.

Enterprise Trade and Employment Minister Micheál Martin, who announced the legislation, said the Groceries Order acted against the interests of consumers for the past 18 years. “The single most important reason for getting rid of the order is that it has kept prices of groceries at an artificially high level by allowing suppliers to specify minimum prices below which products could not be sold.”