IFA president Joe Healy has insisted that retailers should reveal the margins they make on the food chain.

“While there is full transparency around what farmers are paid, and the final consumer price, the margins enjoyed by processors and retailers remain a mystery.

“Farmers find it incredibly frustrating that this information remains hidden from themselves, and indeed consumers. It’s time to lift the lid on this,” he said.

He pointed out that food prices are lower than they were in 2001 and the lack of transparency “fuels suspicion” that retailers are profiting off farmers backs.

He said he was going to pursue the issue with Commissioner for Agriculture Phil Hogan.