Tirlán’s substantial announcement to support its milk suppliers this week has ticked off some of The Dealer’s crop growing friends.

Now I should say the co-op said it is conscious of the challenges faced by tillage farmers. It’s exploring options as the situation evolves. It’s been wet since last harvest, so my assessment is things are pretty bad. It’s odd to announce support for one sector without announcing aid for the other big suppliers of the co-op though. Surely the fertiliser credit extension until May could have been announced for the tillage farmers as a start.

Whatever package they come with for tillage farmers it will have to be good. In fairness, the co-op has stepped up to the plate for its milk suppliers. The IFA welcomed the support, even though grain suppliers were left out.