Farm prices increase by only 14% in 17 years

IT’S worthwhile setting out some important facts in the debate over food prices especially when misleading claims are made that the Government needs to “protect consumers from farmers” (‘No justification for rising food prices’, Letters, May 15.

The reality is the prices paid to farmers have been weak or falling for most of the past two decades. While 2007 saw a good price recovery for grain and milk, the prices paid to farmers for beef, lamb and pigmeat were under pressure.

CSO figures show the overall increase in farm product prices from 1990 to end 2007 was a very modest 14%.