Milk supply agreements and sharing up continues to exercise the minds of milk suppliers in all co-ops. I hear rumblings this week among Glanbia milk suppliers who point out that individual members of Centenary receive the full topped up payment for their milk despite not having to sign a five-year supply agreement and not needing to have bought shares in Glanbia co-op.

Centenary members are in the happy position of only having to sign up to one-year milk supply contracts which will roll forward from year to year. While they don’t individually need to own shares in Glanbia their co-op – Centenary – has a shareholding.

The rumblings come, of course, from Glanbia suppliers who have not signed the five-year milk supply agreement or are not willing to purchase shares in Glanbia Co-op. They are therefore being paid the GII milk price of 26c/l.

They also point out that grain growers qualify for a €5/t top-up from the proceedings of the spin-out – also without having to lock themselves into a five-year supply agreement.