There is no movement at the top of the NI milk league for June, with Tirlán/Fivemiletown holding on to first place, despite being the only processor to leave its base price unchanged.Tirlán paid suppliers from an “all-in” base of 37.15p/l, and, once payments on milk quality are factored in, it finishes on 38.45p/l, leaving the co-op top of our milk league for the eighth month in a row.
There is no movement at the top of the NI milk league for June, with Tirlán/Fivemiletown holding on to first place, despite being the only processor to leave its base price unchanged.
Tirlán paid suppliers from an “all-in” base of 37.15p/l, and, once payments on milk quality are factored in, it finishes on 38.45p/l, leaving the co-op top of our milk league for the eighth month in a row.
With all other processors increasing prices by 0.5p to 2p/l, the gap from top to the bottom of the league has closed from 2.7p/l in May to 1.6p/l for June.
Milk quality
The prices published for the June milk league are calculated at 4.01% butterfat, 3.26% protein, 4.72% lactose, 27 TBC and 204 SCC.
These figures are the actual NI milk quality statistics recorded by DAERA for the same month in 2023. They are also the lowest values for milk quality across the whole year, which means that milk solids made less of a contribution to June prices.
In addition, at the outlined TBC and SCC, bonus payments on cell counts generally do not apply. The only exception to that is a 0.35p/l premium from Tirlán for a TBC of 30 and below.
Positional changes
Following a 2p/l increase in base price, Dale Farm is the biggest mover in the June league, jumping three places to finish second on 38p/l.
While the co-op paid the highest starting base across all processors at 37.8p/l, it is the only company to make a deduction for milk collection and also pays from a higher base for milk solids than its rivals – both factors were instrumental in Dale farm finishing behind Tirlán.
Strathroy holds on to third thanks to a 1p/l increase, while a 2p/l price rise by Leprino Foods results in a gain of two positions to fourth on 37.61p/l.
Moving in the opposite direction are Aurivo and Lakeland Dairies, with both processors opting for a 0.5p/l increase. Aurivo drops three places to fifth, while Lakeland slips two spots to the bottom of the table.
12-month rolling average
In terms of the average milk price paid over the 12 months ending June 2024, there are
no positional changes with Tirlán continuing to lead our analysis.
Estimated payout
Figure 1 estimates the payout by each processor using their actual fat and protein values recorded in June 2024.
Tirlán leads with the highest payout of £26,386 with Dale Farm second.
Aurivo is third thanks to higher solids than Strathroy.
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