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As shown in Table B, Glanbia Milk/Fivemiletown paid the highest price to a 1m-litre sup/lier during April.
The prices are calculated across three different qualities as outlined in Table 1 on the opposite page, and are based on alternate-day milk collection.
Across all processors, good-quality milk averaged 25.37p/l, down from 26.1p/l in March. Glanbia Milk reclaims first place from Lakeland, paying a table-topping 25.79p/l for April. Aurivo retains second spot for good-quality milk on 25.54p/l, with Lakeland slipping three places to finish fourth on 25.47p/l.
Despite paying from the lowest base, Glanbia Cheese finishes fifth on 25.13p/l. The Magheralin processor’s position is helped by its 0.65p/l volume bonus and 0.4p/l mozzarella bonus on milk produced at 3.2% protein and 4% butterfat. Dale Farm is sixth, with Strathroy rounding out the table.
Average-quality milk
For average-quality milk, the price across all processors averaged 24.3p/l, down from 25.05p/l in March, and nearly 3p/l less than was paid for milk produced in the first month of the year.
When doing calculations for good-quality milk, the bonuses paid by different companies for fat and protein can dictate final league positions, but for average-quality milk, volume bonuses, collection charges and base prices mainly determine final positions.
Glanbia Milk/Fivemiletown is top on 24.74p/l followed by Aurivo on 24.3p/l. Thanks to its volume and mozzarella bonuses, Glanbia Cheese finishes fourth on 24.21.
Lakeland is fifth followed by Strathroy and Dale Farm.
Rolling average
Table C outlines the average milk prices paid across three different milk qualities over the 12-month period ending April 2020.
For good-quality milk, prices have averaged 27.59p/l across all processors.
Lakeland remains in the lead position on 27.9p/l, and has now held this spot since July 2019.
But it is average-quality milk which is most reflective of actual farm-gate prices in NI, and it is Glanbia Milk/Fivemiletown which now tops this table with an average of 26.45p/l, having tied with Lakeland for first place in March.
Lakeland has dropped to third with a price of 26.4p/l, with Aurivo fourth. Just 0.06p/l separates Glanbia Cheese, Dale Farm and Strathroy in the lower half of the table.
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