The price gap from the top two in our monthly milk league to the other four main processors, continues to grow with Tirlán/Fivemiletown and Dale Farm paying May prices of over 33p/l to a typical NI dairy farmer supplying 750,000l annually.

May milk prices are calculated at the average solids recorded by DAERA in the same month in 2025, when butterfat averaged 4.13% and protein 3.33%.

With May being the peak month for output, solids are at their lowest level for the year and compared to our April league, butterfat is down sharply from 4.21%.

However, protein is only down marginally from 3.33% in April. The change in milk solids month-on-month generally takes about 0.35p/l off prices paid.

At the top of the league, Tirlán has now led our analysis for seven months in a row, with the co-op adding a 0.4p/l market support payment in May, effectively taking its base to 31.3p/l.

Once adjustments are made for milk quality, it is a final price paid of 33.90p/l.

However, that price will be over the 34p/l mark in June, July and August, with Tirlán committing to a base of 31.7p/l over the period, unless there are some “unforeseen events”.

Having been 0.87p/l behind Tirlán in our April league, Dale Farm has cut that gap to 0.31p/l in May after the co-op put another 1p/l onto a “market support” payment, taking it to 2p/l. When added to a base price of 30.3p it is a 32.3p/l starting price, before adjustments for milk quality and once a 0.37p/l transport cost is removed.

Behind the top two, Aurivo remains in third, but is now 1.34p/l below the Dale Farm price after it decided to hold its base unchanged at 30.5p/l.

Strathroy has moved from sixth to fourth after the Omagh-based company added 1p to its base price, taking it to 30.5p/l.

Lakeland remains in fifth, with a 0.5p increase taking its base price above 30p/l.

That leaves Leprino at the bottom of the league and the only processor to pay May prices from a base price below 30p/l.

However, at the parameters used in our league, May milk does still qualify for Leprino’s 0.75p/l Mozzarella bonus – that bonus helps ensure the final price paid remains over 31p/l.

Rolling prices

Shown alongside the May league prices are the averages paid by each processor to 750,000l suppliers over the 12-month period from June 2025 to May 2026.

Looking back at this time last year, the rankings were exactly the same, with Tirlán in front, ahead of Dale Farm etc, however, the spread in prices was much lower than it is now. The gap between top and bottom was 1.05p/l, compared to a difference of 2.46p in our latest analysis.

The top two still have rolling prices of over 37p/l, with Tirlán pulling slightly further ahead of Dale Farm after its 0.4p market support payment in May was also retrospectively applied to March and April prices – that extra income was included in the May milk cheque.

Payout

Shown in Figure 1 is our best estimate of the actual payout made to a typical 750,000l supplier for milk produced in May, based on actual milk solids notified to us by each processor.

This time last year these payouts were mostly above the £30,000 mark on the back of milk prices of over 40p/l. One year later, that monthly income is down by around £6,000 to £7,000.