Celebrity chef Dylan McGrath said his restaurants are having to serve more pork and fish dishes because it is almost impossible to keep beef on the menu due to rising costs.

McGrath, who owns several high-end restaurants in Dublin, said it seems like every day there's something else that's gone up in price, forcing him to consider cuts of meat he hasn't used before.

It comes as the price of food in restaurants and on supermarket shelves looks set to continue to rise due to agricultural costs increasing massively in the past year, with fertiliser prices up by 149%.

Agricultural input prices were up by more than a third in the year to March, according to the Central Statistics Office, which is having a knockon effect on costs for consumers and restaurant owners.

According to McGrath: "It's too dear to put fillet steaks on the menu. And we took ribeyes off recently in two of the restaurants.

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"We're just having to make smarter choices. We're doing more pork belly and more fish dishes where we can but some customers still want beef.

"We don't want to compromise on quality but we're also trying to keep it as reasonably priced as we can.

"We don't want to be getting too expensive but it's very difficult to operate in this climate. We're still picking up the pieces from Covid so this is just another problem."

Dylan McGrath added that he is managing to keep rump steak on the menu at his Rustic Stone restaurant because it is "cook your own" which makes the portion look generous as the beef weighs more when it's raw.

Eddie Punch of the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association said beef prices will have to go up further in the next year or else it won't be possible for farmers to continue.

He added: "With the increased fuel, feed and fertiliser prices farmers aren't able to get the credit they need. People are going to carry a huge loss."