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LacPatrick is top of the January milk league with a price of 30.55p/l based on alternate-day collection.
The co-op was last to set a milk price for January, and held its base price on 29.45p/l, which put them ahead of most other processors, by 0.45p/l to 0.95p/l.
Included within the LacPatrick base price is the 0.2p/l premium for Red Tractor milk which, as of 1 January, is part of the standard milk price.
The processor is now penalising the small pool of suppliers who are not producing milk to Red Tractor standards by 0.5p/l.
Quality
The January league is based on a dairy farmer producing 650,000 litres annually at 4.10% butterfat, 3.24% protein and 4.70% lactose with 19 TBC and 200 SCC.
These milk qualities are our best estimates for January, based on results from the equivalent month in 2017, and also recent trends. Monthly production volumes are representative of the typical NI supply profile published by DAERA.
As production levels are rising month on month towards peak levels in spring, butterfat and protein are lower compared with previous months. Bonus payments for milk hygiene also affect price, with some processors paying a premium on SCC of 200,000 or less.
Second place
Aurivo is in joint second place in the January league with a price of 30.46p/l. The west of Ireland-based processor reduced its January base by 0.5p/l to 28.5p/l.
However, a winter bonus payment of 1p/l brought its suppliers to an all-in base of 29.5p/l, which was the highest base price across all processors.
The final Aurivo price is matched by Lakeland Dairies, which topped the milk leagues for November and December.
With no winter bonus or butter bonus payable in January, Lakeland suppliers were on a base of 29p/l. Bonus payments on milk quality and volume, along with zero charge on alternate-day milk collection, has helped to maintain Lakeland’s strong position in the league.
Glanbia Milk and Fivemiletown are in joint fourth place with an all-in price of 30.02p/l. This includes the 0.6p/l payment on top of the 28.4p/l base price.
Strathroy is in sixth and seventh positions with 29.94p/l paid on Red Tractor milk, while its standard milk price is 0.2p/l less.
Dale Farm has slipped down the league and is in eighth place with a price of 29.72p/l. Northern Ireland’s largest processor paid a base of 29p/l, which includes its 0.3p/l loyalty bonus, but higher transport charges have affected its final league position.
With a base price of 28.5p/l, Glanbia Cheese is bottom of the January league on 29.59p/l.
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