Continental Europe is consuming dramatically less meat but sales in the Republic remain buoyant.
Supervalu supermarkets have reported an increase of 17 per cent in beef sales, and an overall increase of 12 per cent in meat sales, on this time last year.
Other supermarkets and the Associated Craft Butchers of Ireland said consumption patterns were normal for this time of year.
There is a significant growth in fish and chicken sales in Superquinn but meat sales are also up.
A spokeswoman for Dunnes Stores said fish sales had increased significantly in the past few weeks.
Foot-and-mouth related price rises are reckoned to account for about 0.2 percentage points of March's inflation rate.
The latest Consumer Price Index showed prices of lamb and mutton, and to a lesser extent, pork and beef had all risen significantly.
However, a spokeswoman for Tesco said lamb (hogget) prices had fallen by 10 per cent last week although prices for spring lamb remained high. There was no change in beef and pork prices this month, she said. Supervalu had held retail prices for all meat, including spring lamb, stable, according to a spokeswoman.
The chief executive of the Associated Craft Butchers of Ireland, Mr Pat Brady, said there was no evidence of declining consumption. The price of lamb to butchers had almost doubled since the beginning of this year. Pork prices had also increased but beef had remained largely stable, he said.
"The phrase in January was BSE fatigue. Customer education may be more significant. Foot-and-mouth doesn't have any of the resonance that BSE had.
"People see it as an animal health issue. We also like to believe that trust in the local butcher may also have played a role in maintaining sales," said Mr Brady. Part of the price rises here can be attributed to exports to Britain to compensate for meat shortages there.
The announcement by Downing Street on Monday that meat from animals vaccinated against foot-and-mouth was safe to eat, and by supermarkets Tesco (UK) and Sainsbury's, that they would sell the meat, may ease the shortage and bring prices down here.