The IFA will host an online meeting for farmers on the proposed Glanbia deal next Monday, 13 December at 8pm.

CEO of Glanbia Co-op Jim Bergin and chief agribusiness growth officer Seán Molloy will address the meeting.

IFA dairy chair Stephen Arthur said the meeting will give suppliers the opportunity to get clarity on any outstanding questions they may have in advance of the vote on Friday 17 December.

The IFA has said that the deal is a complex financial arrangement that requires careful scrutiny before members vote on the proposals.

Whatever new structure may emerge, it has to return a leading price to the farmers

“Glanbia has a three billion litre milk pool and takes in 270,000t of grain each year. It’s a major processor and buyer of what farmers produce so they should be a market leader in price,” Arthur said.

“Whatever new structure may emerge, it has to return a leading price to the farmers. The business must seek to extract the maximum value from the market for the quality product that we sell to them,” he said.

IFA grain chair Mark Browne said grain farmers would expect any new arrangement, if it goes ahead, to pay a leading price for the quality grains supplied by farmers.

Registration for the online meeting is available at the following here.