Just when peace has broken out in Glanbia, another little eruption always seems to occur. I hear there was a commotion at last Friday’s Glanbia council meeting.

The 89-strong group, effectively the co-op’s regional representative structure beneath the board, are heading over to the US next month. The group will visit Glanbia’s newly expanded nutritions business near Chicago.

However, chairman Liam Herlihy announced on Friday that this trip will not be available to any dairy farmers on the council who have not signed the milk supply agreement (MSA) with Glanbia Ingrediants (GIIL) by the end of this month.

The Dealer understands that this only applies to five of the council members. Four of them are from the Barrowvale region, including former board member Robert Prendergast.

My information is that one (not Prendergast) has signed a notice of intent to cease supplying his milk to Glanbia. I can fully understand the chairman’s frustration with having a member of the council intending to supply another processor. It’s akin to leaving a marriage without leaving the bedroom.

However, the signing of an MSA is voluntary and surely a private business decision between GIIL and the individual farmer. Providing there is acceptance of the right of the joint-venture processor to instigate the MSA, and to apply the agreed price differential for milk that is so contracted as opposed to milk not supplied under the MSA, is it the kind of offence that warrants a spell on the naughty step?

It has been said that non-dairy members of the council are under no such pressure to trade with the company. The farmers concerned now feel trapped. If they sign at this point, they will be open to the accusation of having signed simply to go on the trip. If they refuse, they miss out on the trip, and the council meeting held when they are away.

The question some farmers are asking is whether this is necessary or simply a further episode in an increasingly personal feud between Prendergast and Herlihy. The council last year twice refused to endorse Prendergast’s nomination by his Barrowvale region to the board, resulting in his standing aside to allow Vincent Gorman represent the region. Having thus been excluded from the board, he is now being treated as a second-class citizen on the council.