Dairygold milk suppliers intend to increase their milk output by 232m litres by 2025, co-op chief executive Jim Woulfe has said.

The co-op’s most recent milk census, carried out between January and April this year, found that 40% of its farmers plan to increase milk production. A further 54% intend to maintain their current milk output.

The expansion would mean that its peak milk processing week would rise from 44.5m litres in May 2020 to 51.5m litres in 2025

Writing to milk suppliers, Woulfe said intended expansion would mean an extra 232m litres of milk to process, reaching an annual intake of 1.622bn litres by 2025. It would be an average of 2.6% per year between 2019 and 2025.

The expansion would mean that its peak milk processing week would rise from 44.5m litres in May 2020 to 51.5m litres in 2025. He said it was encouraging to see Dairygold farmers’ continued confidence in dairying, “but it is clear that the big growth spurt post-quota has already happened and the continuing expansion will be much more modest”.

Woulfe said the co-op is examining funding options to process the extra milk that would not be over-reliant on bank debt. The co-op has invested €130m in cheese, whey and powder production facilities in Mogeely, Mitchelstown and Mallow in recent years.