Three-in-a-row for Barryroe was the headline on the Farmers Journal.

Obviously it refers to Barryroe Co-op getting top place again in the IFJ/KPMG milk audit for 2014. The four West Cork Co-ops who own and supply Carbery Milk Products in Ballineen were all placed in the top six. While each co-op gets paid the same price, there will always be differences with various investments, transport efficiencies and winter milk levels.

The Carbery plant was originally a joint venture with the UK-based Express Dairies. Investment in new technologies was impossible on small scales. There was also a realisation locally that the days of every co-op producing butter, cheese, cream or other products could not compete globally.

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The business decision was inspired. Even more inspired was the decision to eventually buy out the full shareholding when Express Dairies were pulling out, so as to concentrate on other interests.

Bringing in the investment and expertise of an established company allowed more than just replacement of existing infrastructure. It started a process of research and development that continues to this day. The winter milk scheme ensures a more level supply, along with more even quality and milk processibility. This makes it much easier to make speciality cheeses year round.

When Barryroe Co-op was making cheese, the whey was used for pig feed. Carbery changed all that by developing a range of products including alcohol, which also caught the public’s imagination. I reckon the publicity helped advertise the cheese! Sports supplements, flavours and ingredients for a range of functional foods including baby formula are now the main profit makers.

Meanwhile, the local pig industry that used to soak up the waste whey has seen the take-over of a small local butchers. Stauntons Meat Processors in Timoleague now draws pigs from all over southern Ireland as well as local farmers. In turn, it is a market for locally grown wheat through the co-op’s feed mill.

The intensity of farming in the area also demands a competitive supply of inputs and services. The loyalty shown by the farmer-owners is the envy of other co-ops across the country.

It is with a great sense of pride that we West Cork farmers have developed and supported each other through a truly integrated business model. Paying the highest price in the country for milk did not appear out of thin air.