Carbery has today (Thursday, January 19) announced that it has maintained its milk price for December supplies.

If this decision is replicated across the four west Cork co-ops – Bandon, Barryroe, Drinagh and Lisavaird – this will result in an average price for December of 57.8c/L.

That figure is inclusive of VAT, the 0.5c/L Somatic Cell Count (SCC) bonus and the 0.5c/L FutureProof sustainability bonus.

Last September, Carbery began to pay out a sustainability bonus of 0.5c/L to farmers who have committed to Carbery’s FutureProof programme.

The 0.5c/L is paid on all milk supplied in 2022 to farmers who have signed a sustainability pledge and agreed to undergo an Agricultural Sustainability Support and Advisory Programme (ASSAP) water quality assessment.

To date this bonus has been paid to over 95% of Carbery suppliers.

Carbery milk price

The board of Carbery has confirmed that it has agreed to pay a 1c/L bonus on all milk supplied in 2022.

Additionally, the board has approved an allocation of €10 million to its Stability Fund. The Stability Fund will continue to be used to support future milk price at times of market challenges.

A spokesperson for Carbery stated that dairy markets have weakened over recent weeks due primarily to higher global milk output and weaker demand.

While the board has decided to maintain its December price, it said that it continues to closely monitor market developments.