Tirlán milk supplies recovered in the backend of 2024, with supplies down only 1% on the previous year, a recent information presentation to suppliers heard.

This outrun came despite a very difficult start to the year, caused by adverse weather conditions, which saw the volume of milk arriving during the first six months at the co-op down over 6% on the same period in 2023.

Tirlán chair John Murphy said that strengthening in dairy markets throughout the year and the benign autumn weather conditions meant that farmers were motivated and able to increase production.

In response to a question, he ruled out a bonus 13th payment for 2024 milk, adding that the Tirlán board’s goal is to pay the highest price possible for milk each month.

He said that in 2024 the new Kilkenny Cheese joint-venture with Royal A-ware started production and used 317m litres of milk to produce 40,000t of continental cheese.

Looking forward to the year ahead, Tirlán CEO Seán Molloy said that it “should be a year that restores confidence to our dairy farmers” and he expects milk deliveries to grow by 3% to 5% in 2025.

He noted that the increase forecast would only return the level of milk processed to that seen in 2022.

Milk price

On the price being paid for milk, Murphy said that Tirlán is “performing very well” in the milk league and that the co-op is working to get to the top.

He said that Tirlán is in “a really strong financial position”.

Chief financial officer Michael Horan noted that the co-op ended 2024 with its lowest debt level since 2013.

Horan said that the share spinout is on track to be completed by May, and that the co-op would introduce a share trading scheme for co-op shares in the second half of the year.