Milk processors have decided to hold steady on price for September milk, with no change on the prices paid for August supplies.

First out of the stalls was Lakeland Dairies, which has maintained its price for September supplies at 55.8c/l excluding VAT, at 3.6% fat and 3.3% protein.

Dairygold suppliers will receive 54.5c/l excluding VAT for milk supplied in September. The co-op’s price hasn’t moved since July.

Carbery Group’s September price of 54.22c/l excluding VAT is also the same it paid farmers for their July and August milk.

Tirlán wil pay 55.05c/l, excluding VAT, for September milk. There is no change to its base price, but it will have a 6.5c/l input support payment on all milk supplied and the sustainability payment of 0.5c/l included in the price. Kerry Group will pay 53.08c/l excluding VAT, for September milk, again with no change since July.

ICMSA president Pat McCormack said he was “disappointed” with those co-ops that had not hit the Lakeland’s “benchmark” and that he “would have thought that the Lakeland’s price was obtainable” given the stability in the market.

He called on processors to “give an indication of where prices are going to go for the next three months” as “farmers are anxious due to inputs”.

McCormack said that with recent wet weather, dairy farmers are “coming towards a tipping point” and “reducing their [grazing] options outdoors”, leaving them concerned over where prices will now go.