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A small number of dairy farmers have switched processors as of 1 April, the Irish Farmers Journal understands.
Reports indicate six suppliers, with a combined annual milk pool of around 6m litres, have left Lakeland Dairies.
Dale Farm has gained four suppliers with a combined milk pool in the region of 3m litres.
The others have moved to Strathroy, with the Omagh based processor also taking on new suppliers switching from Donegal-based Green Pastures. In total, it is understood that Strathroy has gained around 6m litres of milk.
Stabilised
After a period of considerable flux when other processors picked off Dale Farm suppliers, the situation stabilised in recent years, partly due to notice periods being inserted into supply agreements and farmers being locked into fixed price contracts or sustainability schemes.
There have been isolated instances of established dairy farms switching suppliers. However, any increase in an individual processors’ milk pool has mainly come from expansion by existing suppliers and new entrants.
MPI
Meanwhile, following positive results at last week’s GDT and Dutch Dairy Board auctions, the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) milk price indicator (MPI) for NI has rebounded with a 0.58p/l increase to 34.29p/l.
However, while any uplift will be welcomed by farmers, the current MPI remains 0.9p/l below its value back in early March.
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