Cuts to milk prices continued for November, with all co-ops cutting prices by between 26c and 55c per kg of milk solids (€/kg MS). The difference in price between now and this time last year is stark. In November 2024, the average price paid was €6.83/kg MS but now the price is down to €5/kg MS which is a 27% reduction. In old money, that’s a 13c/l drop excluding VAT.
The severity of the market downturn is really concerning for farmers. The co-ops are still saying that the current price is above market returns. European prices have been falling since the end of August and although prices have seemed to stabilise a bit in the past week, the sentiment is still very poor. The difficult reality is that it’s likely Irish milk prices are going to fall further before they recover.
There are a couple of things to look out for when reviewing the league. Firstly, there is the current price and in this regard the four west Cork co-ops are out in front, as per usual. They have cut their price significantly for November, but the increased SCC bonus for winter and the inclusion of the sustainability payment along with a consistently higher base price keeps them at the top.
Division two is where most of the action occurs. Boherbue holds on to the top of this division, closely followed by Arratipp, formerly Arrabawn Tipperary. This new entity is ending the year strongly and although their cumulative payment is behind Aurivo and Kerry, they are well ahead of the big players Tirlán, Lakeland and Dairygold.
Lakeland has announced that it plans to give a top-up of 3.6c/kg MS across all 2025 milk supplies, which will be paid when the December payment issues in January. It remains to be seen whether other co-ops will follow suit, or what supports they plan to introduce for next year.
Tirlán has announced a rebate on goods purchased through the co-op. Taken at face value, that’s worth 2.2c/kg MS across the entire milk pool, but it’s conditional on making purchases in the co-op in order to get the money out.
Meanwhile, it’s the usual suspects in division three: Tirlán and Dairygold are neck and neck, while North Cork is further behind them again paying just over €4.71/kg MS. A fair chunk of the North Cork milk pool is sourced within the Kerry territory. The difference in the November milk cheque between a North Cork and Kerry supplier is €778 excluding VAT while the year-to-date difference is €7,354 excluding VAT per 100 cows.
Cuts to milk prices continued for November, with all co-ops cutting prices by between 26c and 55c per kg of milk solids (€/kg MS). The difference in price between now and this time last year is stark. In November 2024, the average price paid was €6.83/kg MS but now the price is down to €5/kg MS which is a 27% reduction. In old money, that’s a 13c/l drop excluding VAT.
The severity of the market downturn is really concerning for farmers. The co-ops are still saying that the current price is above market returns. European prices have been falling since the end of August and although prices have seemed to stabilise a bit in the past week, the sentiment is still very poor. The difficult reality is that it’s likely Irish milk prices are going to fall further before they recover.
There are a couple of things to look out for when reviewing the league. Firstly, there is the current price and in this regard the four west Cork co-ops are out in front, as per usual. They have cut their price significantly for November, but the increased SCC bonus for winter and the inclusion of the sustainability payment along with a consistently higher base price keeps them at the top.
Division two is where most of the action occurs. Boherbue holds on to the top of this division, closely followed by Arratipp, formerly Arrabawn Tipperary. This new entity is ending the year strongly and although their cumulative payment is behind Aurivo and Kerry, they are well ahead of the big players Tirlán, Lakeland and Dairygold.
Lakeland has announced that it plans to give a top-up of 3.6c/kg MS across all 2025 milk supplies, which will be paid when the December payment issues in January. It remains to be seen whether other co-ops will follow suit, or what supports they plan to introduce for next year.
Tirlán has announced a rebate on goods purchased through the co-op. Taken at face value, that’s worth 2.2c/kg MS across the entire milk pool, but it’s conditional on making purchases in the co-op in order to get the money out.
Meanwhile, it’s the usual suspects in division three: Tirlán and Dairygold are neck and neck, while North Cork is further behind them again paying just over €4.71/kg MS. A fair chunk of the North Cork milk pool is sourced within the Kerry territory. The difference in the November milk cheque between a North Cork and Kerry supplier is €778 excluding VAT while the year-to-date difference is €7,354 excluding VAT per 100 cows.
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