Top stories in the papers this week 15 – 21 January 2013
Investigation will uncover source of horse meat, says Taoiseach; SIPTU to seek pay increases after Dunnes deal; Seizures of illegal tobacco fall by 56%
Print21 January 2013
1. Investigation will uncover source of horse meat, says Taoiseach
Taoiseach Enda Kenny yesterday said he was ‘not satisfied’ the government had got to the bottom of how horse meat was found in beef burgers. The Irish Times reports that speaking on RTE’s The Week In Politics programme, the Taoiseach said the present ongoing examination would discover "who was responsible and then we can deal with it." The investigations are believed to still be focusing on imported ingredients from continental suppliers.
2. SIPTU to seek pay increases for retail workers after Dunnes deal
Trade union SIPTU has said it will commence a campaign to seek increased pay for staff in the retail sector, after Dunnes Stores agreed to 3% raise for staff ahead of a Labour Court hearing. The Journal.ie reports the retailer was due to attend a hearing at the Labour Court last Thursday but informed both the SIPTU and Mandate unions the day before, that it had agreed to a 3% increase in wages for hop staff, in line with the unions’ demands.
3. Seizures of illegal tobacco fall by 56%
Figures supplied by Revenue show almost 95.6m illegal cigarettes worth €43.3m were recovered last year. The Irish Examiner reports this is the lowest amount of illegal tobacco seized since 2007, and far short of the record 218.5m cigarettes recovered in 2009, valued at €92.1m. However, a Revenue spokeswoman said large individual seizures explained some of the higher quantities in previous years.
4. Fuel up to 11c cheaper per litre in Tralee than in Killarney
The Irish Examiner reports a petrol price battle is looming between Kerry’s two main towns, with Tralee being between 10c and 11c cheaper per litre than Killarney. David Blevings, The Irish Petrol Retailers’ Association, said: "One method of increasing footfall to a store is to sell fuel at low cost in an attempt to maximise profit from in store purchases", which causes a disparity of pricing nationwide, as does the "increasing availability of smuggled and adulterated fuel."
5. Profits remain steady at Donnybrook Fair
Donnybrook Fair made a pretax profit of €442,734 in the year to the end of January 2012, according to accounts just filed. The Irish Times reports the group’s tax charge was reduced to €2,034, as a result of allowances arising from the opening of a new outlet in Stillorgan, Co Dublin. Turnover from the group was €22.39m, up from the previous year’s €21.79m. Owner Joe Doyle said this performance was "not too bad" given the economic climate.
Also:
Maxol investing €50m to expand and rebrand (Irish Times)
Farmers demand action in burger row (Belfast Telegraph)
Thousands overcharged by faulty debit and credit card machines (Irish Independent)
Unpalatable lessons for food industry to learn (Irish Examiner)
Retailers oppose standardised packs (Irish Times)
Expert warns over horse DNA (Irish Times)
Goodman queries validity of tests (Irish Times)Tesco tweets itself into more horsemeat trouble (Guardian)
Horse meat scandal wipes £300m off Tesco’s market value (Guardian)
Primark sales boost Associated British Foods (Irish Times)
Better Carrefour results for core French market (Irish Times)
Plant suspends production after burgers test positive (Irish Times)
Walmart decision to hire veterans met with enthusiasm and concern (Guardian)
Sainsbury’s gets fingers burnt by half-price deal exposé (Guardian)
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