The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers' Association (ICMSA) has called on all milk processors to pay an end-of-year bonus to all their suppliers.

The association made the statement to support farmers against the extreme difficulties experienced over the previous 18 months.

ICMSA dairy committee chair Noel Murphy has also called on the suppliers that are at the bottom of the milk price league to be particularly generous in ensuring that their suppliers receive a milk price comparable with the top payers in the country.

He said that while the weather conditions and the strong milk price in autumn 2024 have been a boost and have certainly improved confidence and morale, farmers are still playing catch-up in terms of paying bills.

“The reality is that milk processor employees in many cases do get such a bonus and [the] ICMSA’s opinion is that the milk suppliers, who are after an extremely difficult period and are the basis for everything else, should also be in line for a bonus,” he said.

“Milk supply was extremely challenging throughout the year and while dairy markets thankfully moved in an upward trajectory, that good price only arrived when milk volumes were low.”

Milk price

The ICMSA said that the milk market has remained in a strong position in November in terms of the purchase price index, the Global Dairy Trade and the Dutch dairy quotations.

The association said that the average EU price for November is expected to be in excess of 53 cents per litre and Irish farmers can legitimately expect a milk price at this level.

“We would hold that the milk price being paid was behind market returns for much of this year,” Murphy added.

“[The] ICMSA believes that milk processors have the scope to pay an end-of-year bonus and we want processors to deliver a timely confidence boost to their milk suppliers, the people who deliver the raw material on which everything thing else depends.”