Dairygold's recently announced loyalty bonus terms caused a stir among a number of suppliers who hit out at the co-op on social media and by organising meetings.
Over 300 Dairygold suppliers attended a meeting to air their grievances with the co-op and its management on Monday 14 January.
However, other suppliers have disagreed with how these suppliers went about highlighting their concerns.
Colm O'Leary, Blarney, Co Cork
"I was sent some of the videos from the Firgrove meeting and I think some of the claims made about Dairygold were pretty outrageous.
"I'm on my local regional committee, which is the east Cork committee.
"I started farming in 2013 and I leased a second unit in 2019 and I have expanded production significantly - I would have to say that every step of the way I have felt supported and encouraged by the co-op and I'm extremely happy with the co-op's performance.
"I also fully support the board. With that said, I think it was the correct decision to change our policy on linking milk price and trading. There are plenty of reasonable farmers out there who just do not want there to be a link between those two.
"And there are a myriad of reasons, whether they're in purchasing groups or whether they're just very low-input farmers who want to never be encouraged to spend to produce milk. They just want the two to be kept separate - those asks were reasonable and we thrashed that out at the committees.
"So I think it was the right decision that we changed the policy on that but, I think that should be where it stops. While there were farmers who were reasonable in their asks and their concerns about the policy, I feel like the issue was getting hijacked a bit.
"It's hard to be diplomatic about this, but, at the same time, there were lads who were willing to thrash our co-operative in the public eye and they're using bully tactics to get what they want.
"Ik now that's just some of them - I accept that there were a lot of farmers out there with genuine concerns and I think the right decision has been met on that front, but there are others who see an opportunity to use bully tactics to get what they want.
"I don't think they have the long-term best interest of the co-op at heart.
"A lot of neighbours I spoke to also feel that if you trade with the co-op, you won't go far wrong and that the co-op won't go far wrong when we all row in together and support each other."
John Fitzgerald, Dromahane, Co Cork
"I am happy with the co-op, I'm proud of my co-op - it's my business. But, unfortunately, not all our suppliers and shareholders recognise it as being their own business. They address it [the co-op] as them out there.
"I'm disappointed that all this stuff is going on on social media and, in fact, there is very good structure in place to deal with our concerns and they're not utilising it properly.
"There is a very good committee structure and there are representatives in every region of the business and we're not making enough use out of those representatives.
"In fairness when this thing was announced before Christmas, all of us who were happy with the co-op were very annoyed with the loyalty bonus and we would have made a lot of representations through the structures that are there.
"It was very much being addressed before it hit the headlines with TikTok and, in fairness to the board, they very much acknowledged that it was a mistake to do what they did and they were prepared to address it.
"We have a fantastic co-op, we all own it and anyone who would have gone through the facilities two weeks ago during the two open days - we have absolutely world-class facilities and we own every nut and bolt in it.
"We might not like every thing that management do, but we have the wherewithal to get our message across that we might not be happy with what they're doing.
"Of course, we would like to be higher up on the milk league - we were there two years. Certainly the product porfolio that Dairygold had for the last 12 months was probably under pressure, but that has turned around and that market has gotten very strong.
"We have world-class facilities and us as farmers, we funded it - I don't think we should be condemning it to the extent that we are. Fair enough, express our concerns, but do it through the proper structures.
"Maybe Dairygold should have more communication back to the grass roots. A lot of farmers who don't engage with the co-op aren't aware of what is going on and they're the ones criticising it.
"Just prior to the quotas being abolished, we had very mediocre processing facilities and if we farmers wanted to expand, we couldn't have done without the investment Dairygold put in.
"It's a pity that people don't acknowledge the co-op as being an extension of their farm. I'm not criticising farmers for being critical of certain aspects, because I would be myself.
"I would want to the co-op to be as competitive in terms of inputs as any other merchant because they should have the buying capacity.
"But we must also must remember that we get paid on the 22nd of every month - the egg from the goose mightn't be always golden, but it's always there.
"We have to acknowledge that when we see what happens across the water when private processors come under pressure and they just shut up shop and left the farmer high and dry.
"The co-operative movement has stood the test of time. In the 30s, 40s and 50s, small co-ops were an integral part of rural Ireland and they still are.
"There is a structure there - I speak to a local rep and I speak to my board men - I won't be going on social media to do it. It's not good for the co-op. We've a reputation for having a very good business model we wouldn't want to jeopardise that.
"The Chin[ese] don't own it, the American doesn't own it, Elon Musk doesn't own it - we own it."
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