THIS WEEK, SINN Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald told the Dáil that a litre of milk now costs more than a litre of petrol, which she presented as an example of the ongoing cost of living crisis. 

McDonald made her comment amid calls for the government to alleviate financial pressure on households with one-off measures in the next Budget – which Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe has categorically ruled out.

Addressing Taoiseach Micheál Martin during Leader’s Questions on Wednesday, McDonald said: 

“The Taoiseach described prices as being at a relatively elevated level.

“Those are his words. That was one for the books. Let me break it to him: prices are not relatively elevated, they are through the roof.

“The price of a litre of milk is now higher than a litre of petrol.”

The night before McDonald spoke in the Dáil, Fionnan Sheahan, Ireland editor at Mediahuis, publisher of the Irish Independent, made the same comparison while referencing the price of Avonmore milk in an unspecified shop. 

“€1.79 for a litre of Avonmore milk – that’s more expensive than petrol,” Sheahan said on Virgin Media’s Tonight Show. 

The Journal contacted Sinn Féin and the office of Mary Lou McDonald, asking for the evidence on which she based her claim, but received no reply by the time of publication.

After this article was published, a party spokesperson emailed The Journal two images: one showing a litre of Avonmore Supermilk priced at €1.75 on Tesco’s online store; and another of Texaco garage in Cork city showing a litre of unleaded petrol priced at almost €1.70 and diesel at almost €1.65.

Milk and petrol prices

So is it true? First up, The Journal checked milk prices in a wide range of shops and supermarkets.

In each case, we looked at the cost of a litre of whole milk from the different brands stocked by the shop. The survey did not include other kinds of milk, like low fat or skimmed. 

It should be noted that prices and brands, especially in small shops, may vary in different parts of the country.

For the cost of petrol, we relied on data compiled by the AA, which publishes the average petrol prices in Ireland every month. 

According to the AA, the average price of petrol in June was €1.77 per litre, up from €1.76 in May. 

The AA does not break down the average price by location, but pickapump.com shows that the price of fuel varies between different companies and regions.

A breakdown of milk prices shows that service stations and small shops charge much more than supermarkets. 

Most of the shops surveyed are located in Dublin, where McDonald lives. 

Here’s how much a litre of milk costs in each shop, broken down by brand:

Supermarkets:

Lidl

Coolree: €1.50 

Aldi

Clonbawn: €1.25 

Supervalu

Premier Dairies: €1.59

Avonmore: €1.59

Own brand: €1.25

Tesco

Premier Dairies: €1.59

Avonmore: €1.59 

Own brand: €1.25

Litres of Premier Dairies, Avonmore and Tesco milk The Journal The Journal

Dunnes Stores

Premier Dairies: €1.59

Avonmore: €1.59 

Donnybrook Fair

Premier Dairies: €1.75

Avonmore: €1.79

Litres of Premier Dairies and Avonmore milk in Donnybrook Fair The Journal The Journal

Smaller shops:

Circle K

Own brand: €1.70 

Mace:

Donegal Dairies €1.80

Spar

Avonmore: €1.99

Daybreak

Premier Dairies: €2.20 

Avonmore: €2.20

Londis

Premier Dairies: €2.25

Avonmore: €2.25

Conclusion

Mary Lou McDonald was right about the price of milk increasing but whether or not it’s more expensive than petrol depends on where you buy it. 

The average price of a litre of milk sold in the supermarkets surveyed is €1.50, which is lower than the average price of petrol (€1.77). 

The average price in the smaller shops surveyed is €2.00, which is much higher than the average price of petrol. 

So whether it’s more expensive than petrol or not, the price of milk is increasing a lot right now. According to the Central Statistics Office (CSO), which gives figures for the average cost of two litres of milk, the price has risen by 12% in the last 12 months – that’s an increase of 27 cent. 

Correction: The original version of this article listed the price of Coolree milk in Lidl as €0.75. Lidl’s price tag refers to the cost of Coolree milk per 500ml, so the correct price of a litre is €1.50. 

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