Drinagh Co-op has retained the top spot in the 2024 Irish Farmers Journal cumulative monthly milk league. Paying out a total of €2,485 per cow or €6.228/kg MS the west Cork co-op and Carbery member continues to be at the top when it comes to paying farmers for milk.

Drinagh is followed closely by fellow Carbery members, with Lisavaird in second place and Bandon and Barryroe in third and fourth place respectively.

After recently holding their AGMs, all four west Cork co-ops have announced a milk price top-up for 2024 supplies of between 1c/l and 1.05c/l excluding VAT.

This payment is worth between €5,000 and €5,250 excluding VAT to the typical supplier.

Lakeland Dairies, which was in the top position prior to the Carbery bonus has been relegated to fifth place but still paid out a strong price in 2024 at €6.146/kg MS or €2,452/cow, which is €33/cow behind the Drinagh payments.

Tirlán paid an average milk price of €2,411/cow or €6.043/kg MS while the Dairygold price was third from the bottom at €2,395/cow or €6.004/kg MS.

The Kerry Dairy Ireland average price of €2,398/cow or €6.011/kg MS includes the 0.75c/l excluding VAT top-up it announced in April while the Aurivo price also includes a 0.45c/l excluding VAT top-up.

The co-op that paid the least amount for milk in 2024 was Tipperary Co-op which has since joined forces with Arrabawn Co-op.

At €2,331/cow, the Tipperary price for 2024 was €154/cow behind the Drinagh price, which equates to a difference in cumulative payment of over €15,400 for a typical supplier.

IFA league

Meanwhile, IFA has also published its 2024 milk price analysis. It uses a different methodology to the Irish Farmers Journal monthly milk league, using the maximum attainable price for each co-op so includes full bonuses for SCC.

Drinagh tops the IFA rankings, followed by Lisavaird, Bandon and Barryroe. The IFA analysis puts North Cork Creameries ahead of Lakeland Dairies in fifth place.

It excludes Boherbue, but includes Northern Ireland’s Strathroy. Strathroy paid the fifth lowest price in 2024, ahead of Arrabawn but behind Kerry, the IFA said.