Four supermarket chains are being accused of price-gouging after cutting the price of butter.
Lidl, Tesco, Aldi and Supervalu are all dropping the price of own-brand butter from today.
All four supermarkets have confirmed a 40-cent decrease.
But the Irish Farmers' Association says it's another blow to the dairy industry, just five days since milk prices were cut.
The IFA's Liquid Milk Chair, Keith O'Boyle, is worried that cuts to the price of dairy products are the start of a full-scale price war.
"It isn't sustainable for us to keep producing food at the highest quality, and to keep getting cut by retailers.
"Like we called it - it was so obvious. Last weekend, one retailer announced it and within hours four retailers had announced it".
The latest move by retailers @TescoIrl and @Aldi_Ireland on butter points to a price war, which is ultimately a real threat to farmers.https://t.co/VBap3Yk93K
— Irish Farmers' Association (@IFAmedia) May 3, 2023
The IFA is also calling for a food industry regulator to be set up to bring transparency and fairness into the market.
"A food regulator or an ombudsman should regulate where the market returns its margins.
"In other words, if we can make a margin for each person in the supply chain, then we'd know there isn't price gouging in any sector of that chain".
