Lakeland Dairies was the first processor to confirm its price for suppliers.
A base price of 41.9c/litre (3.6% butterfat and 3.3% protein) will be paid for April milk in the Republic of Ireland.
The base price has been held from last month and includes the 0.5c/litre sustainability incentive payment.
A 1c/litre input support payment introduced last month continues to be paid on top of the base price.
The all-in base price for suppliers is 42.9c/litre for milk supplied in April.
In Northern Ireland, a base price of 34.5p/litre will be paid for milk supplied in April.
The base price for April has been held from last month and includes the 0.5p/litre sustainability incentive payment.
A 0.8p/litre input support payment continues to be paid to all suppliers. The all-in price for suppliers is 35.3p/litre for April.
A Lakeland spokesperson said that “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,” the spokesperson said.
“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.”
The Kerry Group milk price for April is 41c/litre, consisting of a base price of 39c/litre and a milk contract payment of 2c/litre on all qualifying milk volumes.
The April milk price at EU standard constituents (3.4% protein and 4.2% butterfat) is 44.96c/litre.
Based on Kerry’s average milk solids for April, the milk price return inclusive of Vat and bonuses is 43.71c/litre.
A spokesperson for Kerry said that 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”.
“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,” the spokesperson added.
Irish Farmers’ Association dairy chairman Stephen Arthur has said that milk processors need to continue supporting farmers by maximising the price paid for supplies.
Mr Arthur said that milk volumes continue to lag well behind 2023 levels, with the CSO confirming a drop of almost 6% in the first quarter of 2024 compared with the year before, while costs associated with the very difficult spring weather have extended into May.
“We have reached or passed the peak of production now, with no lift in milk volumes on farm,” Mr Arthur said.
“This means reduced sales for dairy farmers, which is further compounded by the massive increase in overall cost of production this spring.
“We acknowledge the support paid by some processors for March milk, but it needs to extend into April.
“We need our processors to return every cent they can to dairy farmers to support them during this very difficult period.”
