Price rises of between 1p/l and 1.5p/l have been set for July milk supplies in Northern Ireland. The biggest price lift among those known as the Irish Farmers Journal went to press on Wednesday was an increase of 1.5p/l at Dale Farm, taking its Red Tractor base price to 18.7p/l.

Glanbia Cheese and LacPatrick have increased prices by 1.25p/l. This puts LacPatrick up to a base of 17.75p/l, with its Red Tractor bonus of 0.2p/l payable on top for quality-assured farm supplies. The Glanbia Cheese base for July is 17.75p/l, with its Red Tractor bonus of 0.4p/l payable on top of that, taking it to 18.15p/l for a majority of suppliers. Prices at Glanbia Cheese are not subject to any transport deductions as these have been suspended since November 2014.

Strathroy has added 1p/l for July, putting its base at 19p/l. Last week, Lakeland Dairies led the way with an improvement of 1.35p/l over its June price, taking its base to 18p/l for July milk. Lakeland’s price in the Republic of Ireland increased by 1c/l and several co-ops have followed suit.

Listen to a discussion of the positive milk price trend with Irish Farmers Journal dairy editor Jack Kennedy in our podcast below:

The prices actually paid in Northern Ireland after adjustment for transport charges and milk quality will be reported in the NI milk league in next week’s edition of the Irish Farmers Journal. As indicated in last week’s report, the trend in prices is clearly on the up, with reduced milk supplies in Britain, France and Germany being reflected in British spot milk prices around 30p/l and in recent price increases reported by the Dutch Dairy Board.

European butter and whole milk powder (WMP) prices have risen by €200/t.

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