Revealed: Price for Kilkenny milk in October

Tirlán will pay a total of 38.08 cent per litre (cpl) (including VAT) for October creamery milk supplies at 3.6% butterfat and 3.3% protein.

The October milk price consists of the following:

• Base milk price of 37.58 cpl (including VAT), a reduction of 4.0 cpl from September;
• Sustainability Action Payment of 0.5 cpl (including VAT) to all qualifying suppliers.

The base price and Sustainability Action Payment will be adjusted to reflect the actual constituents of milk delivered by suppliers.

The actual average price paid by Tirlán for October creamery milk, based on delivered constituents will be 51.30 cpl (including VAT).

Tirlán Chairperson John Murphy said: “The sharp reductions in market returns since mid-August require us to continue to adjust our farm gate price in order to bring it to the appropriate level. We fully appreciate the concern the rapid market downturn is causing for our farm families and will continue to work to mitigate the impact in so far as is possible. We are particularly conscious of our Liquid Milk suppliers and our Autumn Calving Scheme members, as well as all other farmers who supply valuable fresh milk over the winter period.”

Seasonality payments 

Unconditional seasonality bonus payments apply over the winter months of December, January and February on all non-contracted milk volumes that meet quality criteria. The payment rates for qualified milk volumes are 5 cpl for December, 7 cpl for January and 5 cpl for February. Unconditional Seasonality Bonus payments will be adjusted to reflect the actual constituents of the milk delivered.

Investment in Value-Add

“On Friday last, we were pleased to announce plans for a €126 million investment in our whey processing facilities in Ballyragget. This significant investment marks an important step in Tirlán’s value-add journey, enabling us to expand our whey processing and product innovation capabilities. The new facility will focus on the production of an advanced nutritional whey protein product portfolio, including clear whey protein - an increasingly popular product among lifestyle consumers. Once operational, the facility will significantly increase Tirlán’s capacity and flexibility to create high-value whey-based products.

“The Board will continue to monitor market developments on a monthly basis.”