Tesco, it seems, has fewer admirers in the Irish farming community than it does in the British - and it's easy to understand why.
For Ireland's leading retailer has today (Tuesday 5 May) slashed prices in 11 stores in the Republic by a massive 22%, in a bid to stop consumers crossing the border into Northern Ireland to do their shopping.
There has been something of an exodus in recent months, as the slump in sterling and the cut in VAT to 15% have made shopping in the province very cost effective.
Tesco has lost out in this trend, as it does not have as strong a position north of the border as its rivals Sainsbury's and Asda.
A statement from Tesco Ireland's chief executive Tony Keohane said the price cuts in 11 Tesco stores just south of the border - which include milk, meat and vegetables - would "remove the need for consumers to travel".
It is understood that some of these price cuts have been funded by importing more products direct from the UK, taking advantage of the currency differential.
Tesco has also promised that the reductions will be extended to the whole of Ireland. For example, milk is being cut by 7% this week in all its Irish stores, fresh meat by an average 16% and poultry by an average 24%....
Understandably,the move to woo Irish consumers has gone down like a lead balloon with Irish farmers.
Irish Farmers Association president Padraig Walsh accused the supermarket of using his members as "cannon fodder". By turning to cheap imports, Tesco was "pushing Irish farmers into the frontline in the latest round of supermarket wars".
Strong stuff indeed! And of course, the Irish food sector is feeling the pain as the recession bites and the euro has appreciated, undermining the competitiveness of their all-important exports. Irish food manufacturing also faces higher costs than in the UK.
But any sympathy has to be tempered a little, not least because British farmers and food producers have had to contend with an over-valued currency for most of the past decade, not just a few months. This has led to a structural decline in self-sufficiency levels in the UK, with imports - especially Irish imports - taking a greater market share.
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