Winter bonus payments have resulted in significant positional changes to the October milk league, with the big winner being Dale Farm.

A 2p/l premium on winter milk has been instrumental in Dale Farm climbing two places to finish on top of the NI milk league for the first time since October 2021.

Along with a base of 47.05p/l, bonuses on milk quality sees Dale Farm finish with a price of 50.67p/l for milk collected on alternate days.

It is the first time ever in our analysis that milk price for a 750,000-litre producer has exceeded 50p/l.

Behind Dale Farm, Aurivo is the other processor to cross the 50p/l barrier, having also paid a winter bonus of 2p/l for milk supplied in October. The west of Ireland-based co-op started with a base price of 46.5p/l, and once adjustments are made for milk quality, it finishes with a final price of 50.32p/l.

Our calculations are based on a farmer producing milk in October at 4.24% butterfat, 3.43% protein, 4.69% lactose, 21 TBC and 220 SCC, with these figures taken from DAERA statistics published for the same month last year.

Behind the top two, Glanbia Cheese also pays a winter bonus in October, and therefore gains two places to finish third on 49.8p/l.

With three processors moving upwards in the table, there are inevitably processors moving in the other direction.

Tirlán/Fivemiletown slips two places and finishes in fourth, while Lakeland loses four places to finish fifth.

Both processors do not pay a winter bonus for October and with milk quality rising, the higher value increments for fat and protein paid by Tirlán see it edge out Lakeland. Our milk league does not make an allowance for the Lakeland scheme to enhance milk solids, which pays higher increments for additional butterfat and protein when compared to a chosen base year (2018, 2019 or 2020).

Rolling average

For the 12-month period ending October 2022, Tirlán continues to lead for milk collected daily or on alternate days.

However, there have been positional changes elsewhere. For alternate-day collections, Lakeland retakes second place from Dale Farm having finished ahead on price in eight of the last 12 months. Aurivo moves into third, just marginally ahead of Dale Farm in fourth.

Moving to daily milk collections, Aurivo remains in second place with Lakeland moving up to third.

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