Irish Dairy Co-Ops Face Third Consecutive Month of Milk Price Cuts

Ireland 04.11.2025

Sourse: dairynews.today

In September, the trend of decreasing milk prices persisted across Irish dairy cooperatives, marking the third consecutive month of reductions. According to the Milk Price Tracker by Agriland and the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA), all cooperatives reduced their base milk prices for September supplies. Notably, Centenary and Tirlán both cut their base milk price by 4.00c/L, following a previous month's reduction of 2.50c/L, positioning them among the lowest in terms of base milk price offered.

Irish Dairy Co-Ops Face Third Consecutive Month of Milk Price Cuts

Dairygold implemented another significant price cut of 3.75c/L in September, after a 3.00c/L reduction the previous month, maintaining its position at the bottom of the pricing table for the fifth consecutive month. In contrast, Lisavaird improved its position, moving up four places to offer the highest milk price among the cooperatives for September.

Strathroy, Aurivo, and Lakeland Dairies experienced a decline in their rankings, falling five places each, taking them out of the top three positions. The cooperatives attributed the declining milk prices to increased global supplies and the international decrease in butter and cheese prices.

The Global Dairy Trade (GDT) index further reflects this trend with a 1.4% drop as of October 21, bringing the price per metric tonne of product sold to €3,351. This ongoing decline in prices is causing concern among farmers, particularly for those involved in winter milking, which incurs higher costs.

The Irish Farmers Association (IFA) has expressed concern about the pressure on suppliers due to these price cuts and ongoing supermarket price wars, which could threaten the sustainability of all-year-round processing.

Additionally, various bonuses and penalties affect the final milk price. For instance, North Cork offers a supplementary 0.95c/L bonus on September supplies. Conditional bonuses include Arrabawn/Tipperary's 0.4c/L bonus for low somatic cell count milk and Aurivo's 0.5c/L sustainability bonus, among others.