The Consumers' Association of Ireland has appealed to the Government for urgent financial support following the withdrawal of £200,000 in EU funding this year.
Its chief executive, Ms Caroline Gill, said the Government's failure to support the association was "shameful and indicative of the lack of genuine Government interest in consumer issues". The only State grant received by the body was a once-off £1,000 payment over five years ago.
The appeal follows the decision by the European Commission's consumer policy section, DG24, to cut off its annual funding allocation to the association, which carries out independent research and tests on consumer goods here. Similar groups in Portugal, Spain, Italy and Greece have also lost funding.
Ms Gill said the association's only other income was annual revenue of about £500,000 from sales of its Consumer Choice magazine.
