Tirlán has confirmed a payment of €5.4m to over 4,500 farmer shareholders as part of the 2022 trading bonus scheme.

A further €1.2m will be paid to eligible members over the coming months, according to the co-op.

A trading bonus of 0.25c/l will be paid on all milk from suppliers that spend 8c/l or more with Tirlán in 2023.

For grain grower members, a trading bonus of up to €10/t of grain supplied is again available for the 2023 harvest.

Reward

Tirlán chair John Murphy said: "The 2023 trading bonus scheme is a continuation of the very successful trading bonus scheme that has operated since 2018.

“The trading bonus rewards our members for trading with their co-op.

“Our focus is on paying the best possible milk and grain prices to our members. The board also believe[s] that it is important to reward members who trade with their own co-op.

"By purchasing high-quality inputs from our own co-op, we make our business stronger for all of our members," the co-op said.

Tirlán has said that the milk supplier trading bonus is worth up to €1,375 plus VAT to an average supplier spending over 8c/l with Tirlán this year.

All qualifying 2023 purchases made from Tirlán are included in the calculation (similar to previous years, purchases made through purchasing groups count at 50% for 2023).

At the end of 2023, the total spend will be divided by the total litres of milk delivered to generate a cent-per-litre input spend for each member.

Feed bonus

Beef, sheep and pig farmer customers of Tirlán who are co-op members will also qualify for a feed bonus on their tonnes purchased this year.

For non-milk suppliers, the 2023 feed trading bonus will be €10/t of beef, dairy and sheep feed products purchased from Tirlán, €3/t for straights.

For pig farmers, the bonus will be €3/t for pig feed.