Tirlán will pay a base milk price of 39.58 c/L as well as a 1.5 c/L weather payment and a sustainability Action Payment of 0.5c/L coming to a total of 41.58 c/L.
Tirlán Chairperson John Murphy said: “While dairy market returns are generally stable for most products, buyers remain cautious. Weather has had a significant impact on our milk supply, with year to date volumes 9pc lower than the same period last year.
“There has been a good milk supply recovery in recent weeks as we approach peak, but grazing conditions remain challenging in many areas.”
Kerry Group’s milk price for April supplies is 41 c/L, consisting of a base price of 39 c/L and a milk contract payment of 2 c/L on all qualifying milk.
“The rebound in global dairy prices observed in late 2023 and during the first quarter of this year has decelerated in recent weeks due to weakened demand,” a spokesperson for the co-op said.
“Despite this, supply-side challenges will persist in the short to medium term, which is supporting dairy commodity prices in the absence of a substantial increase in demand.”
Lakeland Dairies will pay 42.9c/L for April milk supplies as well as the continuation of the 1 c/L input support. The base price includes the 0.5 c/L sustainability incentive payment.
In Northern Ireland, a base price of 34.5 p/L will be paid for milk supplied in April. A 0.8 p/L input support payment continues to be paid to all Northern Ireland suppliers. The all-in price for suppliers in Northern Ireland is 35.3p/L for April.
A spokesperson for Lakeland said: While weather conditions have become somewhat more manageable in the last couple of weeks, the spring has been a difficult one for all farmers. We recognise this and have therefore continued the input support for April.
“Global and EU milk supplies remain back on last year but the gap has begun to narrow. With the full year global supply picture looking generally more positive versus last month, buyers remain cautious and the market has been a little more volatile over the past month as a result.”
In April, wholesale prices of dairy products in Europe saw small levels of increase, apart from skim milk powder and whey markets which remained subdued. February cows’ milk deliveries were estimated to have increased by 3pc year-on-year.
In March and April, deliveries have been reported as variable across Europe, with recent reports of total volume plateaus indicating the seasonal peak is nearing.
In a bid to secure supply, some mainland processors have announced an increase in milk prices for May, according to UK market analyst AHDB.
