Kerry Dairy Ireland has announced its harvest grain prices for 2025, with the processor also paying grain growers a bonus of €3.50/t to support them for what has been a difficult year for tillage farmers.

The processor will pay a base price of €182/t for feed barley. All growers will be paid a transport bonus of €10/t and along with the €3.50/t this brings the final price to €195.50/t before VAT.

Wheat suppliers will be paid a base price of €192/t, a €10/t transport bonus, along with the €3.50/t, bringing the price to €205.50/t before VAT.

Oat growers will be paid a base price of €174/t, plus the €10/t transport bonus and the €3.50/t payment to bring the final price to €187.50/t.

There are no trading requirements to attain any of the above bonuses and growers will also receive a moisture bonus on this base price. All of this grain will go into the feed chain of Kerry Dairy Ireland.

The prices make the processor the second highest payers for grain, after Centenary Thurles, of those who officially announced harvest prices. The final price for feed barley with all bonuses, which do not require an input spend, for example is €2.50/t behind Centenary Thurles, €5.50/t ahead of Tirlán and €7.50/t ahead of Dairygold.

A spokesperson for Kerry Dairy Ireland commented that barley acres were down slightly this year, while there was a dramatic swing from oats to wheat.

This is a regular occurrence as growers look to fulfil both rotational and crop diversification requirements.

Moisture contents were good at an average of 18.6% for barley, 19.3% for wheat and 20% for oats.

Screenings, although well within tolerances, increased this year and KPH levels were on the lower side at an average of about 57.5 for barley, 69.5 for wheat and 48.3 for oats.