In 2015, the price of a pint of stout in Ireland was €4.30, according to CSO data. Last week, Diageo announced a 7c/pint increase on its products will take affect from 2 February.

Going on the December 2025 price released by the CSO and adding 7c to that price it brings the average price of a pint to approximately €6.16, although including VAT it could actually bring the price to about €6.29.

These prices will of course vary across the country and as well by the time of the day it is sold at in some urban pubs.

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Irish farmers are not gaining from this increase. A spike in grain prices came in 2022 due to the war in Ukraine when the average price peaked at €384.46/t.

However, since that time the price of malting barley has decreased.

Last season, the price decreased to €212.65/t and the Irish Farmers Journal placed the 2026 price at €200/t as an estimate for this exercise, see Figure 1.

At present, the Free-On-Board price for Planet malting barley next harvest sits around €208/t and this is subject to a €10/t deduction by some purchasers, but this is subject to movement up or down.

From 2015 to 2022, the malting barley price increased by 59%. From 2022 to 2025, the price of malting barley declined by about 45%.

Overall, the difference between the malting barley price in 2015 and 2025 is 34.6%. The price of a pint has increased by 43% in that time.

Costs have increased for both businesses.

Fertiliser, one of the main costs faced by tillage farmers have increased by approximately 60% since 2020, so profits have declined.

In 2025, the gross margin on spring barley declined by €135/ha and is forecast to decline again in 2026.