Aurivo Co-op and Lakeland Dairies are gearing up for peak supplies of manufacturing milk, while Dairygold hit peak two weeks ago. Milk volumes at Aurivo are up 2% year-to-date. When asked if the co-op expects record milk levels this year, a spokesperson said: “This is really an unknown as of yet.

“It is exceptionally volatile presently and milk levels will depend on weather, milk price and input costs for the remainder of the year.”

Milk supplies are still climbing at Lakeland Dairies, with the co-op very close to peak.

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“We are running a small bit behind where we were last year by about 1% or 2%. Milk supplies are mainly driven by weather, grass growth and grazing conditions.

“Last year was excellent on all fronts, so we will have to wait and see how things develop in the second half of this year,” a spokesperson explained. Dairygold has passed peak, with the co-op confirming that week 19 (the week beginning 4 May) was peak supply week. Volumes to the co-op are about 1.5% ahead of 2025 levels. Dairygold expects milk supply will be similar to 2025, however, like other co-ops, it said this is dependent on many factors, including weather later in the year. Further south and Carbery is not certain if it has hit peak yet.

“Year to date we are flat to 2025 volumes,” a spokesperson said, adding that it is “too early in the year” to predict its full year 2026 milk production.

Supply

Last year Irish dairy farmers produced 8.84m lites of milk, a record level of production.

The latest data available from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) shows that for the month of March, supply was up 20m litres for the month compared to 2025. This is a 1.6% increase compared to last year and supply from January to March was up 6% year-on-year.