This is a subscriber-only article
Lakeland Dairies has finished top of the NI milk league for July, paying 25.72p/l for milk collected on alternate days.
It is the first time the co-op has led the milk league since completing the merger with LacPatrick earlier this year. Before that, December 2018 was the last time it finished in first place, when it paid a 3p/l winter bonus on top of a 26.5p/l base price.
Like most processors, Lakeland left its base price unchanged for July, holding at 25.25p/l, a price only matched by Aurivo.
However, zero collection charges and a bigger volume bonus take the final Lakeland milk price ahead of Aurivo, and mean it moves up from second place last month.
Milk quality
The NI milk league is based on a dairy farmer supplying 650,000 litres annually with a supply profile reflecting the average farm.
Milk quality for July is set at 3.84% butterfat, 3.19% protein, 4.68% lactose, 20 TBC and SCC at 214, with these figures based on actual DAERA milk statistics for the same month last year.
With the butterfat and protein levels in July milk broadly in line with the standard base used by dairy companies in calculating payments, it means that any bonus payments for either constituent are effectively excluded in the analysis.
Instead, the base price, and bonus payments on TBC and volume, plus any transport charges, had a major bearing on the final league positions.
Changing positions
Having topped the league from April to June, Strathroy slips to second place on 25.35p/l after cutting its base price by 0.5p to 25p/l.
Dale Farm climbs three places to finish third on 25.3p/l, having held base price last month. Aurivo also held, and is placed fourth on 25.25p/l, up one position from June.
Glanbia Cheese finished fifth on 25.08p/l having previously finished bottom of the league the previous month.
That leaves Glanbia Milk/Fivemiletown finishing bottom in July after applying a cut of 0.5p/l and taking base price to 25p/l.
Rolling average
As well as topping the monthly league, Lakeland is in front on the 12-month rolling average league for a 650,000-litre producer on alternate-day collection. It is the second month in a row that NI’s largest processor has led this table. For the 12-month period from August 2018 to July 2019, it has paid an average price of 27.83p/l.
Close behind is Strathroy, which has moved ahead of Dale Farm after paying a leading monthly price to a 650,000 litre producer on three occasions so far in 2019. Glanbia Cheese moves up two places to fourth for alternate-day milk collection, but continues to pay the highest price for milk collected daily over the past 12 months.
SHARING OPTIONS: