Cost of living

The UFU's dairy chair, Cyril Orr, says farming families are coming under increasing financial pressure from rising costs but money from milk price rises isn't being passed to them.

Money from rising milk prices not coming to farmers, says UFU

Caoimhe Archibald has today announced measures to tackle the high price of home heating oil but Diana Armstrong (right) says they do not go far enough

Economy minister refuses to impose price controls on home heating oil

Cutting the costs of welfare will require the government to spend more in other areas, like education, Andy Burnham has suggested.

Andy Burnham: ‘Welfare cuts will result in spending in other areas’

Goods being sorted at a food bank. An emergency food parcel will be provided every 10 seconds across the UK this winter, the Trussell charity has predicted. The food bank organisation said rising costs of essentials such as food, electricity and rent are pushing more families "to the brink". Issue date: Wednesday December 3, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Andy Buchanan/PA Wire

Almost 200,000 in NI at risk of needing to use food banks

Petrol and diesel prices are both at high levels and holding steady (photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP via Getty Images)

Haulage bosses say firms will start to go under if fuel stays at present price

A customer arrives to re-fuel his car at a petrol station as fuel prices dip slightly in NI (photo by Bryn Colton/Getty Images)

Petrol and diesel prices have dipped slightly in Northern Ireland

Residents of Belfast are the second worst in the UK for falling short of cash before payday, a new survey has shown. Photo: Alamy/PA.

Belfast payday crisis: City UK's second-worst for cash shortage before next wage

The weekly rise to the price of fuel has halted as of today (photo by Bryn Colton/Getty Images)

Three-month hike to fuel prices in Northern Ireland grinds to a halt

The price of both diesel and petrol in NI is currently at its highest since the Iran war began (photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Diesel in Northern Ireland creeps closer to £2 per litre after yet another rise

Chart produced by Nationwide today showing Northern Ireland far out in the lead of house price growth in the UK

Increase in Northern Irish house prices far outstripping the rest of the UK

.Andy Burnham plans to remove the triple lock protection on state pensions could have 'a profound impact' on the financial security of older people, a watchdog has warned.

Breaking pension triple lock ‘could have profound impact on NI’

Diesel prices have hit a record high across the UK, the RAC says. Photo: AFP via Getty Images

Diesel nears £2 per litre in Northern Ireland as UK hits record high price

A customer re-fuels his cars at a petrol station as diesel brushes close to £2 per litre in Northern Ireland (photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

Diesel now at its highest in Northern Ireland since Iran war began

Administrators have been appointed to Glens of Antrim Potatoes Ltd, which employed 95 staff across sites in Cushendall and Ballymena.

Collapse of Glens of Antrim Potatoes Ltd causes redundancies & farming blow

Diane Forsythe spoke of the 'crippling' effect of fuel prices in the Assembly today

Demands growing for fuel tax to be cut as Alliance and DUP speak out

Vessels transit the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of the port city of Bandar Abbas in southern Iran on September 5, 2026. The United States has destroyed Iranian oil tankers this month while Iran has launched missiles at US ships (Atta KENARE / AFP via Getty Images)

Fuel prices in Northern Ireland make biggest weekly jump since spring spike
Prices of road fuel and home heating oil have surged unusually steeply in the past week, new data shows.
Adam Kula

The case was heard at Ballymena Courthouse today

Two men charged with illegally blocking road in Co Antrim during fuel protests

Less than 44% of adults in Northern Ireland are currently registered with a dentist – an all-time low – with not one practice in Northern Ireland currently accepting new NHS patients.

All time low: Less than 44% of adults registered with dentist, says BDA

Vessels transit the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of the port city of Bandar Abbas in southern Iran on September 5, 2026. The closure of the waterway by Iran since spring has sent oil prices skyward (photo by Atta KENARE / AFP via Getty Images)

Stormont's £100 home heating oil subsidy vouchers 'pushing up the price of oil'

A vessel transits the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of the port city of Bandar Abbas in southern Iran on September 5, 2026; the waterway, a major oil transit point, lies at the heart of the Iran war

Bulk-bought home heating oil back up to almost £1 per litre again as fuel rises

Share Energy announced today that their standard 24 hour electricity tariff will increase by 12.6% from 1 October 2026.

Share Energy announces electricity tariff to increase by 12.6%

The £100 digital pre-paid card scheme will support around 340,000 households who use oil as their main source of heating.

£100 Home Heating Oil Support Scheme goes live for applications

Victor Chestnutt.

Rising costs for farmers lamented while Firmus gas customers also see bill hike

Re-fuelling cars and restocking home oil tanks is growing pricier, the latest weekly survey shows (photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

Price of petrol now at the highest it has been in NI since Iran war began

The Middle East conflict has pushed petrol prices up to a 2026 high.

War pushes diesel prices up again but end of US holidays could lower petrol

Watchdogs have blamed Middle East conflict for a major hike in gas prices – and offered advice on how to cope.

Gas hike of 19% - energy watchdogs give analysis and advice

An Iranian woman stands overlooking the water as ships are seen anchored in the Strait of Hormuz on August 10, 2026 off the coast of Bandar Abbas, Iran (photo by Ali Saeedi/Getty Images)

NI petrol prices almost back at their highest point since Iran war began
Petrol prices are nearly at the highest they have been since the US/Israeli attack on Iran began.
Adam Kula

Fuel nozzles at a forecourt. The Iran conflict has pushed up the price of fuel globally (photo by SAEED KHAN / AFP via Getty Images)

Petrol and diesel both rising in price - but heating oil falls slightly

A general view of housebuilders at work (by Matt Cardy/Getty Images). According to official figures, Northern Ireland looks set to be way off its target to 'deliver at least 33,000 social homes' in the next 15 years

Northern Ireland building far fewer social homes than planned

Proposals include restricting multi-buys, unlimited refills and selling close to tills. Photo: stock.adobe.com

New NI shop laws on pizza, chocolate and breakfast cereals 'will tackle obesity'

Three boys play in the shallow waters of the Strait of Hormuz, as a plume of smoke rises from an explosion in the background, off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Monday, July 13, 2026. (Razieh Poudat/ISNA via AP)

'We are not to blame for this' says supplier after home heating oil price surge

Pubs, clubs and venues in Northern Ireland are being left high and dry as tax cuts come in for England and the Republic, an industry body says. Photo: Kirsty O'Connor/PA Wire

Pubs 'stuck in middle' of England and Republic tax cuts, facing higher bills

A giant anti-US billboard in Tehran featuring US president Donald Trump in a coffin with text in Farsi reading 'We Kill Trump'. Hostilities have renewed between Iran and the US (photo by AFP via Getty Images)

Price of 900 litres of home heating oil shoots up by £175 in two weeks

More than 90% of parents in Northern Ireland believe the summer holidays bring both financial and emotional pressure for their families.

Vast majority of parents feel financial pressure every summer

Mourners walk past an anti-US banner as they arrive to attend the funeral of slain Iranian leader Ali Khamenei and members of his family near Imam Reza's shrine in Mashhad early on July 9, 2026. The war has caused global fuel prices to surge (photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images)

Price of home heating oil starts heading up for first time in three months

Vessels are seen anchored in Bandar Abbas along the Strait of Hormuz last week as oil prices tumbled after the US-Iran peace deal

Home heating oil prices could be virtually at pre-Iran war levels next week

Sir Keir Starmer’s resignation paves the way for a new leader following Andy Burnham’s landslide Makefield by-election win on Friday.

What might Andy Burnham as PM mean for the City and economy?

MLAs have been able to use free electric vehicle chargers at Stormont since 2015. Pic: John Walton/PA Wire

Stormont electric car charging points switched off ahead of crunch meeting

Fuel prices have soared on the forecourt since the attack on Iran slightly over four months ago (Photo by Alishia Abodunde/Getty Images)

Home heating oil drops to 84p per litre after three months of war in Iran

Electricity and gas price hikes are looming from two of Northern Ireland's major supplier. Photo: Peter Byrne/PA Wire

Gas and electricity bills to rise in Northern Ireland from July

A 15.65% tariff increase in the Ten Towns network has been announced by firmus energy. Iconic Media Group

Power NI and firmus energy announce price increases

A government decision to reduce VAT on summer attractions to support hard pressed families has been welcomed by poverty and business stakeholders in Northern Ireland.

‘Chancellor summer scheme welcome – but underlying problems are chronic’

Supermarket bosses have said any price caps on the cost of essential food would be “completely preposterous” and “idiotic”.

Food price cap proposal ‘idiotic’ say supermarket bosses

A planned increase in fuel duty has been postponed by Government to help motorists faced with rising pump prices as a result of the war in Iran.

Muted welcome for delay in rising fuel duty

Petrol and diesel prices remain high, largely unchanged from last week, while home heating oil prices fell (photo by Antoine Boureau / Hans Lucas / AFP via Getty Images)

Home heating oil drops below £1 per litre for first time since Iran war began

Scott Murray, recently appointed chair of R3 in Northern Ireland and managing director at Keenan CF

167,000 overdue invoices hit NI firms as late payment pressures persist

Employees of Basra Oil Company work at the Nahr Bin Umar Oil and Gas Field on the outskirts of the southern Iraqi city of Basra on April 29, 2026. Today, the global price of oil has spiked (Hussein FALEH / AFP via Getty Images)

Diesel and petrol prices drop for a second week in Northern Ireland

Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald is advocating the use of smart meters (Liam McBurney/PA Wire)

Households could save money with smart meter installations in 2028 says minister

Sinn Fein TD Pearse Doherty at the Sinn Fein Ard Fheis, at International Convention & Exhibition Centre in Belfast. Picture date: Friday April 24, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Brian Lawless/PA Wire

SF calls on Dublin for emergency mini‑budget to ease cost‑of‑living crisis

Two protestors on foot at the Tesco depot on the Boucher Road, where there was no sign of any traffic disruption

Mass fuel protests fail to materialise across Northern Ireland

Families queueing for an ice cream van in Belfast's Ormeau Park in June 2020. Photo: Pacemaker Belfast

Blue summer for ice cream vans: Fees to skyrocket over three years

Ministers have refused to confirm whether they hold secret briefings on fuel prices – warning that it could spark panic buying and potentially send markets into turmoil.

Ministers refuse to say if they hold secret briefings on fuel prices

Pump prices have finally dropped after rising for almost two months (photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP via Getty Images)

Fuel prices drop across the board: petrol, diesel and home heating oil

John French, the chief executive of the Utility Regulator NI, said that after Brexit Northern Ireland was 'decoupled' from Great Britain's electricity market

Irish Sea border hiking up electricity costs in Northern Ireland says regulator

Ian Marshall, former head of the UFU and now a QUB academic, was speaking after Jim Allister raised the question of nuclear power last week

Ex-UFU chief tells News Letter 'we must be willing to consider nuclear energy'

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