Since 2020 Tirlán has had 250 new entrants who, over that period of time, have supplied 330m litres of milk, Brian Hanafin, head of milk pool development at Tirlán, has said.

This influx of milk comes in at an annual value of €150m, according to Hanafin, who was speaking last Wednesday at the co-op’s open day in Ballyragget.

Over 1,600 member suppliers attended the open days on Tuesday and Wednesday last week, for a tour of the facility, presentations and panel discussions. New entrants peaked in 2020 at 70, there were 50 new entrants in 2023 and Hanafin said that he expects to see in excess of 25 new entrants in 2025.

“When we look forward, we’re seeing a strong appetite for new entrants, but ultimately that there is about ensuring we have confidence in the industry,” he said.

Hanafin said that he expects to see continued growth in milk solids versus volume in the coming years.

“The abolition of quotas has allowed family farms to significantly increase in scale. We have a milk pool here of 3bn litres of milk, today it is stagnated versus where it was in 2023, but when we look forward, we see an increase, particularly around solids.

“There is a massive motivation here to increase milk solids because it does two things – it is profit back to the farmer, which is key in sustaining a vibrant industry, but equally as we increase our solids we are lowering or carbon footprint,” Hanafin said.