I see Barryroe Co-op had to call in ICOS hitman Sean Myers to sort out the row over who would or wouldn’t get the 1c/l Carbery bonus. Payments totalling €27,000 were held back from nine big suppliers because they did not purchase co-op inputs to the tune of 8c/l.

The Carbery bonus has always been unconditional at the west Cork co-ops. The drive to attach loyalty conditions came from farmer members on the Barryroe board. Chief executive Peadar Murphy and his team didn’t go looking for this fight.

The suppliers will get the 2016 bonus but must make additional purchases from the co-op stores.

Meanwhile, there were minor shockwaves among other co-ops at Glanbia’s announcement that its 1c/l top-up on milk supplied in the first half of 2017 includes fixed-price milk. Contracts elsewhere generally specify that fixed-price supply is excluded from bonuses. The stakes are quite high given that farmers could have a fixed price for up to 30% of supply.

Interestingly, the Lisavaird board voted to pay a bonus on fixed-price milk, a case of having their cake and eating it too.

Suppliers down south say Glanbia was forced into announcing the bonus because it increased milk price by just 2c/l over July and August while Kerry lifted by 3c/l and Dairygold by 2.5c/l.