The 3p/l winter bonus and 1p/l co-op bonus paid by Lakeland Dairies for November supplies puts it on top of the monthly league table (Table B) for a 1m-litre producer on alternate-day collection.

Milk prices are calculated at three different qualities, outlined in Table 1 on the opposite page.

Good-quality milk is based on butterfat and protein of 4.47% and 3.44% with TBC and SCC values under 10 and 100.

Across all processors, good-quality milk averaged 31.64p/l for November, up from an average of 30.89p/l during the previous month.

Thanks to its bonus payments, Lakeland finishes with a price just under 34p/l, more than 2p/l ahead of its closest competitor Glanbia Milk/Fivemiletown on 31.76p/l.

Aurivo is fourth on 31.54p/l, with Dale Farm and Glanbia Cheese finishing joint fifth, with Strathroy rounding out the table.

Average quality

Lakeland also leads the table for average-quality milk. Given the exacting parameters for “good quality”, it is this analysis of average quality that is probably most relevant to farmers.

Last month, Lakeland finished bottom of this table, which outlines the impact winter bonus payments can make on the league.

Across all processors, the average price is 30.41p/l for November, a rise of just over 1.1p/l on the previous month.

Behind Lakeland, Glanbia Milk/Fivemiletown climbs three places to finish second, while Glanbia Cheese slips from first to fourth. Dale Farm edges out Aurivo for fifth spot with Strathroy bottom.

Twelve-month average

Glanbia Milk/Fivemiletown continues its run at the top of the 12-month rolling league table (Table C), a position it has held since April for average-quality milk, and since July for good-quality milk.

Across all processors, rolling average prices have generally been on a rising trend this year.

On good-quality milk, Glanbia Milk’s table topping price of 28.21p/l is up 0.21p/l from the same analysis done in October 2020, although the gap to third-placed Lakeland has narrowed slightly.

On average-quality milk, prices across all processors have risen by 0.17p/l with Glanbia Milk leading on 26.94p/l. All league positions are unchanged from those published in October. The spread from first to last is 0.79p/l.

Read more

Dairy markets: November milk production drops sharply in New Zealand

EU environment targets do not apply to NI