Milk price cuts in excess of 10c/l since the start of the year have slashed €50,000 off dairy farm incomes, the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) has warned.
IFA dairy chair Stephen Arthur said such a drop in price cannot be sustained by farmers, who are also grappling with wet weather and poor grazing conditions.
Arthur highlighted that “many processors will remove early calving bonuses in March, so farmers will endure a cut in income before any changes to base price are made”.
The IFA dairy chair was speaking ahead of dairy processors announcing their milk prices for March supplies.
‘Breaking point’
Arthur drew attention to Met Éireann analysis, which showed last month to be the wettest March on record, while he warned that the start of April has seen “absolutely no let-up”.
Milk price cuts since the start of the year have slashed €50,000 off supplier incomes. \ Roan Murray
“Dairy farmers are near breaking point now. Cows are housed throughout the country, resulting in big drops in milk supplies, while feed and fertiliser prices remain at record levels. All of this means that the overall cost of production has soared for 2023.
“We know a lot of boards will be deciding milk prices this week, board members must listen to the concern of their suppliers and have to sustain milk prices at current levels,” he concluded.
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Milk price cuts in excess of 10c/l since the start of the year have slashed €50,000 off dairy farm incomes, the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) has warned.
IFA dairy chair Stephen Arthur said such a drop in price cannot be sustained by farmers, who are also grappling with wet weather and poor grazing conditions.
Arthur highlighted that “many processors will remove early calving bonuses in March, so farmers will endure a cut in income before any changes to base price are made”.
The IFA dairy chair was speaking ahead of dairy processors announcing their milk prices for March supplies.
‘Breaking point’
Arthur drew attention to Met Éireann analysis, which showed last month to be the wettest March on record, while he warned that the start of April has seen “absolutely no let-up”.
Milk price cuts since the start of the year have slashed €50,000 off supplier incomes. \ Roan Murray
“Dairy farmers are near breaking point now. Cows are housed throughout the country, resulting in big drops in milk supplies, while feed and fertiliser prices remain at record levels. All of this means that the overall cost of production has soared for 2023.
“We know a lot of boards will be deciding milk prices this week, board members must listen to the concern of their suppliers and have to sustain milk prices at current levels,” he concluded.
Read more
Cull cow numbers to increase on back of falling milk prices, EU says
Dairy Trends: markets continue to weaken
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