Dairygold’s board has announced end-of-year top up payments for 2023's milk and grain, as part of the co-op’s efforts to “ensure that the best possible milk and grain prices” are paid to suppliers.

Top-ups for milk suppliers will issue at a rate of 0.48c/l (ex VAT), while €2/t (ex VAT) is to be paid on most grain supplied to the co-op.

Malting barley and contracted beans are excluded from the bonus payments.

Recognition of a 'challenging year'

Dairygold stated that the payments are being made in recognition of the “challenging year suppliers had in 2023” amid falling prices, stubbornly high input costs and difficult weather conditions.

The processor added that the year-end milk bonus is also made in recognition of suppliers’ participation in the co-op’s sustainability scheme.

Over 90% of the Dairygold’s milk comes from farms participating in the supplier scheme, with initiatives like it “absolutely critical to deliver on the climate targets and to improve water quality”.

“Environmental sustainability continues to be the biggest challenge facing agriculture, and Dairygold has prioritised the areas of water quality, climate and biodiversity underpinned by efficiencies at farm level,” Dairygold said.