Irish farmgate prices fall at almost three times EU average

Eurostat figures for April, May and June show that Irish farmers received 16.2% less for their produce than during the same period last year, while the cost of inputs such as fertiliser, feed, fuel and electricity increased by around 10%.

Irish farmers have suffered one of the sharpest deteriorations in agricultural prices and costs in the EU this year.

Eurostat figures for April, May and June show that Irish farmers received 16.2% less for their produce than during the same period last year, while the cost of inputs such as fertiliser, feed, fuel and electricity increased by around 10%.

The fall in agricultural output prices was almost three times the EU average, while the increase in input costs was more than twice the average across the bloc.

EU-wide, agricultural input costs rose by an average of 4.7% in the second quarter, following relative price stability throughout 2025. Output prices fell by 5.8%, marking the third consecutive quarter of decline.

Of the EU’s 27 member states, only farmers in Denmark experienced a larger fall in output prices than their Irish counterparts. Danish prices dropped by 17.2%, although farming costs there increased by only around 2%.

Agricultural output prices also fell sharply in Latvia and Estonia, both down 14.5%, and Luxembourg and Lithuania, both down 14.2%.

Prices increased in only seven countries — Croatia, Malta, Cyprus, Finland, Portugal, Greece and Romania — and by no more than 3.5%.

Meanwhile, agricultural input prices increased in all 27 EU member states. The largest rises were recorded in Lithuania, at 16.4%; Romania, at 11.7%; and Latvia, at 9.7%.

Among the EU’s major agricultural producers, France fared best. French farmers’ costs increased by 7%, while the prices they received changed very little.

In Spain, input costs rose by around 3% and output prices fell by approximately 4%. German farmers experienced an increase in costs of around 2%, alongside a 12% fall in the prices received for their produce.

Separate figures from the Central Statistics Office for July illustrate how Irish farmers are being squeezed between rising costs and falling prices.

Compared with July 2025, Irish agricultural output prices were down 12.3%, while input costs were 6.2% higher. The CSO described this as a 17.5% annual deterioration in the agricultural terms of trade.