Milk suppliers to the former Tipperary Co-op thought they got a nice surprise last week. They got a text from the co-op saying that “all milk suppliers will receive a 1c payment today to their bank account.”

Now, for a typical supplier with 100 cows, a 1c/l payment would equate to around €5,000 and considering Tipperary paid the worst milk price in the country last year, it would be welcome. When farmers checked their accounts, they did indeed get a 1c payment – literally 1c was added to their account.

Was this a late April Fool’s Day joke? The text came from Tipperary Co-op, not new owners Arrabawn. They say they are trialling a new milk payment system.