Kerry Co-op made a payment of €100,000 to Tralee IT Foundation last year, the Irish Farmers Journal understands. The €100,000 was made as a charitable payment to the Tralee IT Foundation to fund a new sports academy.

Accounts for Kerry Co-op’s 2018 financial year reveal the co-op made €129,000 in charitable payments last year, which was markedly higher than the €5,000 paid to charities a year previous. Operating costs for Kerry Co-op broke the €1.8m mark last year as the farmer co-op finds itself fighting a number of fronts at one time.

The cost of the milk price arbitration case stood at €855,740 last year, while consultancy fees were just under €200,000. Directors’ fees for the year were just under €0.5m. Kerry Co-op received €15.6m in dividend income from its shareholding in Kerry Group plc in 2018, which was up 11% on the previous year.

The co-op paid a dividend to its shareholders of €3.55/share, which equated to a total payout of €14m to shareholders in dividends.