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A glass of milk and a petrol pump Shutterstock

Does a litre of milk cost more than a litre of petrol, as Mary Lou McDonald claimed?

McDonald made the claim in the Dáil on Wednesday.

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 

high-res-image (1)

Aldi

Clonbawn: €1.25 

Supervalu

Premier Dairies: €1.59

Avonmore: €1.59

Own brand: €1.25

MixCollage-18-Jul-2025-02-06-PM-1977

Tesco

Premier Dairies: €1.59

Avonmore: €1.59 

Own brand: €1.25

Screenshot 2025-07-18 at 14.11.08 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

MixCollage-18-Jul-2025-02-13-PM-6280 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. 

The Journal’s FactCheck is a signatory to the International Fact-Checking Network’s Code of Principles. You can read it here. For information on how FactCheck works, what the verdicts mean, and how you can take part, check out our Reader’s Guide here. You can read about the team of editors and reporters who work on the factchecks here.

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    Mute Patrick Corr
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    Nov 11th 2014, 10:02 PM

    Let that be an inspiration to people who say they can’t do it. Everyone can..

    826
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    Mute Kizzi Yeates
    Favourite Kizzi Yeates
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    Nov 11th 2014, 11:15 PM

    I can’t do it , I have jumped up and down in the bath so many times and it just won’t break ….. ;)

    192
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    Mute Dave Donnelly (Tac)
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    Nov 11th 2014, 10:05 PM

    Well done! Great achievement!!!

    442
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    Mute yorkie robinson
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    Nov 11th 2014, 10:05 PM

    I tip my hat to you .no guts no glory

    434
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    Mute skin flint
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    Nov 11th 2014, 10:09 PM

    Wow! It’s not easy – so you should be very proud! You look fantastic!

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    Mute jolly rodgers
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    Nov 11th 2014, 10:05 PM

    Fair play to her , a wonderful achievement

    329
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    Mute Louise Evans
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    Nov 11th 2014, 10:19 PM

    Amazing comments and compliments across all form of media today about this lady,she must feel amazing reading them all,she must have gone to hell and back to loose all that weight,an amazing achievement

    287
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    Mute Al coholic
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    Nov 11th 2014, 10:18 PM

    Just look at what that girl achieved and ask yourself what’s your excuse.fair play a lot to be said for focus and determination

    169
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    Mute Jason
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    Nov 11th 2014, 10:50 PM

    Hats off to her not easy to lose weight let alone that amount, phenomenal job and she looks fantastic

    125
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    Mute finbarr ocormac
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    Nov 11th 2014, 10:13 PM

    Brilliant for you….

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    Mute Bazalini
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    Nov 11th 2014, 10:16 PM

    U go girl….

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    Mute TheLoneHurler
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    Nov 11th 2014, 10:26 PM

    Brilliant stuff, fair play to her.

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    Mute Unfortunately
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    Nov 11th 2014, 10:27 PM

    Wow what a change she’s hot now.

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    Mute deel
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    Nov 11th 2014, 11:08 PM

    Well done lady !!..keep it up and best of luck in the future x

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    Mute Big Crazy Al
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    Nov 11th 2014, 10:56 PM

    Congrats. Great to hear some good news.

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    Mute Deirdre Graham Geoghegan
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    Nov 11th 2014, 11:13 PM

    What a wonderful brave lady. Congratulations

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    Mute AntiTreeHugger
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    Nov 12th 2014, 12:58 AM

    Well fair play. 20 stone is some weight to lose. That’s a serious achievement. Good advertising for that weight loss programme. I keep losing 1 to 2 stone. I say a prayer to saint anthony and a month goes by and I find it again.

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    Mute Margaret Martin
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    Nov 11th 2014, 11:47 PM

    Your a wonderful person,you look like a model,keep it up.

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    Mute Kizzi Yeates
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    Nov 11th 2014, 10:50 PM

    The bath was so funny lmfao……

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    Mute Kizzi Yeates
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    Nov 11th 2014, 11:11 PM

    I would imagine she chuckles looking back , good for her…..

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    Mute Inntalitarian
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    Nov 11th 2014, 10:33 PM

    You’re dead right Patrick, a decade or so of excessive overconsumption of junk food.l and lack of movement should do it. Consistency is key.

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    Mute Maria Hickey-Fagan
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    Nov 12th 2014, 8:18 AM

    Fantastic achievement. Slimming World is by far the best and most sustainable plan out there. It’s helped me lose the baby weight twice and I’m now back to a weight I haven’t seen since my early twenties. I 100% credit Slimming World with that and believe me I’ve tried every plan and trick and diet pill in the book.

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    Mute Marie
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    Nov 12th 2014, 6:30 AM

    What an inspiration, well done!

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    Mute Pauline Harney Keogh
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    Nov 12th 2014, 8:24 AM

    Well done to her but I wonder did she have to have surgery after to remove any excess skin left over from losing all that weight.

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    Mute MUFC
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    Nov 12th 2014, 3:16 PM

    fair play to her. massive turnaround. impressive stuff

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    Mute Dympna Stapleton
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    Nov 12th 2014, 9:45 PM

    Well done girl! I agree slimming world is by far the best plan out there, I lost two stone and have maintained it 14 months now and I no il never look back. This lady must be thrilled x

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