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Dale Farm is top of the NI milk league for March, paying 27.97p/l for milk collected on alternate days.
While the co-op did cut its base price by 0.2p/l to 25.8p/l, a price which includes the 0.3p/l loyalty bonus, Dale Farm’s final league position has been boosted by a one-off bonus payment of 0.1p/l on all milk supplied from April 2018 to March 2019.
The bonus payment was included in the March milk cheque and basically means that a 650,000-litre producer receives an additional £650 this month.
It is understood that over 95% of Dale Farm suppliers are members of the co-op and have received the bonus payment
Assuming that the same producer has a relatively seasonal supply curve, March production would be approximately 58,300 litres, which means the £650 bonus payment is worth an additional 1.1p/l for the month.
It is understood that over 95% of Dale Farm suppliers are members of the co-op and have received the bonus payment, which is why it has been factored into the monthly milk league.
Milk quality
The March milk league is based on a dairy farmer supplying 650,000 litres annually, with a supply profile that reflects the NI average.
Milk quality is calculated using DAERA statistics for the same month during the previous year. For March, this puts butterfat at 4.10%, protein at 3.27%, lactose at 4.72%, with a TBC of 16 and SCC of 180,000.
League positions
Finishing in second place for March is Strathroy Dairies, on an alternate-day milk price of 27.37p/l.
The Omagh-based processor’s winter milk bonus of 1p/l ended in February, and it also cut its base milk price by 0.5p/l to 26p/l, but it is still the highest base price for March across all processors. Aurivo has climbed four places to finish third on 26.87p/l, while Glanbia Cheese remains in fourth position on 26.84p/l.
Following the merger with Lakeland, from April onwards all suppliers will be on the Lakeland pricing structure
Lakeland is in fifth place after cutting its base by 0.5p/l to 25.25p/l, a price matched by LacPatrick.
March is the final month that LacPatrick will appear in the monthly league table. Following the merger with Lakeland, from April onwards all suppliers will be on the Lakeland pricing structure.
That leaves Glanbia Milk and Fivemiletown, which have been leading since the start of the year due to a 3p/l winter bonus, but it no longer applies.
Rolling average
In terms of average prices paid over the last 12 months to a 650,000-litre producer, Dale Farm remains on top for milk collected daily and on alternate days.
The NI co-op has now been top of this rolling league since April 2018.
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