All speakers from the top table and the floor at the Teagasc winter milk conference called on milk processors to come clean on new payment structures and the future of winter milk schemes post-2015. Without this, they claim they cannot invest or plan for producing more milk over winter months.

Almost 300 farmers attended the Teagasc Winter milk conference sponsored by AIB in Wexford yesterday (Wednesday). In the morning session, there were a number of advisers and farmers explaining where they saw the future in producing milk during the winter. In the afternoon, farmers went to see the winter research herd at Johnstown Castle.

Teagasc winter milk specialist Joe Patton explained clearly that unless winter milk farms start to get more efficient, there is little or no cash left after production costs, drawings and bank repayments.

He said: “Efficiency is driven by growing more grass, making quality silage, breeding for milk solids, and getting your calving pattern sorted out.

“A winter producer just switching to spring and not getting efficient will not make the bank balance any better.”

He also said increasing yield per cow through higher meal feeding alone will be good for input salesmen and milk intake to processors, but no good for farm net margin.

Winter milk farmers Larry Hannon from Kildare and Glenn Forde from Cork explained that they need more clarity from milk processors as to the future payment systems and the overall future of winter milk bonus schemes.

Bandon farmer Glenn Forde said: “This week we got a letter in the post from Carbery stating the volume of winter milk required was capped at the average of our last three year supply bonus and that the winter milk scheme would remain in place for the next three years.

“After that, unless new markets are found I’m not sure what will happen. The winter bonus just about pays for my extra costs of feed so the only reason I stay at it is to carry a slightly higher stocking rate but I take all the risks of higher costs and extra labour.”

Larry Hannon said: “I’m committed to liquid milk, but I need liquid milk to commit to me, and do it soon. We need cashflow if we are to grow efficiently and need to pay bills.”

Private consultant Cathal McAleer from County Tyrone explained no quotas in Northern Ireland had focused farmers on scale, not efficiency. He warned: “Efficiency must come before scale. You need to keep feed costs down, control capital spend and cull low performance cows.”