DEAR SIR: Why is the most efficient milk processor languishing at the bottom of the milk price league?

These are the questions being asked by our dairy members over the last number of weeks and they are demanding answers. We feel by highlighting these genuine concerns of dairy farmers, answers will have to be given. Is it fair that GIIL is maintaining profit margins at the expense of its suppliers? Why is the farmer always at the bottom of the line? Why is GIIL aiming to be debt-free by 2018 when it’s obviously plunging its suppliers into a credit squeeze inside the farm gate. Why are farmers’ margins not protected? The processor seems to ignore the fact that the suppliers also have bank commitments and family responsibilities to maintain. Without suppliers, there is no product to process.

As concerned Glanbia suppliers, we demand that GIIL attains and then maintains a position at the top of the Irish Farmers Journal milk price league.

We also demand that the base price per litre is clearly shown net of all other price supports for each individual co-op on the league table. This will ultimately be reflected in the annual KPMG milk league table.

GIIL has launched the open source sustainability programme. We demand that one of the key pillars of this programme is the financial sustainability of the Glanbia family farm.