The latest CSO agricultural price indices show that input price increases have tracked output increases in the year to October 2021.

In that period, the output index has increased by 14.1% to 120 points, while the input index has increased by 15.7% to 117.7 points.

Base year is 2015 when the index was 100 points.

The biggest increase over the year was for cereals, including seeds, where the index increased by 34% to 154.5 points, followed by sheep, up 21.4% to 130.9 points.

Cattle were up 11.5% to 107.9 points.

Milk has increased by 16.85 since October 2020, rising to 132.5 points. Poultry was static with just an 0.75% increase to 101 points, while pigs were the only decrease, down 7.1% on the year to 102.1 points.

The major drivers in the input cost increases were fertiliser costs, which were up a massive 52% and a 29.7% increase in energy costs, with motor fuels witnessing the biggest increase in that category at 36.4%.