Tirlán announces July milk price of 39.08cpl & €15 million Support Package for milk suppliers

Tirlán has announced a €15 million support package for its milk suppliers as the prolonged period of dry weather continues to place severe pressure on dairy farms across the Co-op’s catchment area.

The package is designed to help milk suppliers manage rising feed costs, protect winter fodder stocks and maintain milk production through what has become an exceptionally challenging period due to soil moisture deficits on farms throughout the Co-op’s catchment area.

The support measures include:

• €10 million weather-related milk payment covering June, July and August milk supplies;
• €5 million Drought Support Package available from 10 July to 19 September 2026;
• Increased credit facilities for Tirlán agri-customers to accommodate higher on-farm expenditure;
• Extensive technical and advisory support for milk suppliers, including webinars, branch clinics and one-to-one technical advice.

July Milk Price

On 18 June, Tirlán announced a three-month milk price commitment covering milk supplied during June, July and August. However, in light of the significant and widespread impact of drought conditions across the majority of the Tirlán catchment area, the Board has approved a weather-related adjustment of 1.0 cpl to the milk price for those three months.

As a result, the manufacturing milk price for July milk supplies is 39.08cpl, including a 1 cpl Weather-Support payment and the 0.5cpl Sustainability Action Payment.

The July milk payment comprises:

• Base milk price of 37.58 cpl (including VAT);
• Weather-Support payment of 1cpl;
• Sustainability Action Payment of 0.5 cpl (including VAT) for qualifying suppliers.
• The base price, Weather-Support payment and Sustainability Action Payment will be adjusted to reflect the actual constituents of milk supplied.

The actual average price paid by Tirlán for July creamery milk, based on delivered constituents, will be 43.82 cpl (including VAT).

The August payment run will also include the 1 cpl Weather Support payment on all June milk volumes.

Commenting on the current situation, Tirlán chairperson Ger O'Brien said that exceptionally low grass growth is having a significant impact on milk supply, with deliveries to Tirlán in August running 8% behind the same period last year. “Our farmers are dealing with severely elevated milk production costs and will require an improvement in market returns in order to sustain milk production into the backend.”

Supporting suppliers through exceptional conditions

Tirlán Chairperson Ger O'Brien said the Board recognised the exceptional challenges facing farm families and had acted to provide meaningful support.

"The Board agreed that we need to support our suppliers, as far as possible, in coping with the extremely challenging conditions being experienced across our catchment area. We would encourage all milk suppliers to engage with our technical teams to help manage their herds over the coming weeks, maintain milk production and secure adequate fodder supplies for the winter."

He added: "Many of our milk suppliers are now heavily dependent on silage in the diet, which is increasing production costs, reducing milk output and drawing heavily on winter fodder reserves. Grass growth has effectively stalled on many farms, while average farm covers are at record low levels at a time when farmers would normally be building grass supplies for autumn grazing."

To help preserve silage stocks and reduce pressure on winter fodder reserves, Tirlán is encouraging suppliers to maximise the use of concentrate feeds. As part of this effort, the qualifying period for the current Drought Support Package has been extended until 19 September 2026.

The package provides:

• €40 per tonne rebate on GAIN dairy feed;
• €10 per tonne rebate on Irish rolled cereals;
• €3 per tonne rebate on straights.

Ger O’Brien added: “We would encourage our milk suppliers to engage with Tirlán technical advisors to optimise feed plans and manage limited silage stocks over the coming months.”

Technical Support

The Tirlán farmer-facing team continue to provide technical support and advice to farmers. A series of technical webinars will be hosted over the coming months to provide detailed nutritional advice, including on Thursday 20^th August at 2pm. In addition, the Co-op is planning a series of branch clinics for diet formulation and to create individual fodder budgets. 

New Liquid Milk, Autumn Calving and Seasonality payment rates confirmed

The Tirlán Board has approved a new five-year payment framework for participants in the Liquid Milk and Autumn Calving Schemes (ACS), effective from 1 October 2026. The new arrangement is designed to provide greater certainty and support for suppliers over the duration of the agreement, while reinforcing the long-term sustainability of liquid milk production.

The package recognises the additional commitment and costs associated with supplying milk during the winter months and includes a range of enhanced supports for participating suppliers.

A key improvement is an increase in the unconditional January seasonality payment from 7cpl to 9cpl, while the unconditional seasonality payments for December and February will remain at 5cpl. The Seasonality payments are available to all milk suppliers, provided milk quality criteria are met.

The package also provides:

• A 13cpl liquid milk premium on contracted liquid milk supplies;
• A 12cpl premium on contracted Autumn Calving Scheme (ACS) supplies;
• Additional support measures designed to assist suppliers during periods of milk price volatility.

Commenting on the new arrangements, Ailish Byrne, Chief Agribusiness Officer at Tirlán, said:

“This new five-year package demonstrates Tirlán’s ongoing commitment to our Liquid Milk and Autumn Calving Scheme suppliers and to securing a sustainable future for year-round milk production.

“The increase in the unconditional January seasonality payment from 7cpl to 9cpl represents a significant enhancement that will benefit a large number of suppliers. Combined with the liquid milk and ACS premiums, the package provides greater certainty and support for suppliers who undertake the important role of producing milk throughout the winter months.

“By providing a longer-term framework, we are giving suppliers the confidence to plan and invest in their businesses, while helping to ensure a secure supply of high-quality fresh milk for customers and consumers.”.