A radio advert by the new National Consumer Agency was in breach of broadcasting legislation for attempting to influence a public consultation on the ban on below-cost selling of groceries.
The Broadcasting Complaints Commission has upheld a complaint against the agency which claimed that the Groceries Order was leading to higher supermarket prices.
The advertisement, which was aired during the summer on RTÉ radio and Today FM, was found by the commission to be directed towards achieving a political end, and as such was banned under broadcasting legislation.
Its ruling followed a complaint by RGDATA, the lobby group representing smaller retailers, which had been campaigning against the scrapping of the order.
The National Consumer Agency advert informed listeners that the Department of Trade was carrying out a public consultation on the Groceries Order.
In the version on Today FM, the advert said "when you do your grocery shopping, you might be paying more than you should have to", and that this was because of the Groceries Order.
"The National Consumer Agency believes the Groceries Order should go, and urges you to make your voices heard," it said.
The version that was broadcast on RTÉ said there was a public consultation on the order, and that people should make their voices heard.
In her complaint to the commission, RGDATA director Tara Buckley claimed the advert was one-sided, misleading and factually incorrect. She also complained it had a political aim.
Today FM accepted that an error had been made in broadcasting the advert, and withdrew it when it became aware of its content. RTÉ, however, rejected the complaint, saying the version that ran on RTÉ expressed no view on the order.
The broadcasting commission found that the consumer agency was "endeavouring to influence public opinion" on the issue. "Therefore the commission was of the opinion that this advertisement was directed towards a political end."
In November the Government decided to abolish the order.