Irish dairy co-ops are “working very hard together on contingency planning” in the face of twin threats from Covid-19 and the approach of peak production – and at this point all is going as well as possible, according to the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA).

Measures being undertaken by processors include the training of additional staff and redirecting milk where necessary, IFA National Dairy Committee chairman Tom Phelan explained.

The chairman said the IFA had been contacted by numerous worried farmers, who have observed on social media the consequences of Covid-19 in other countries, such as the UK and US, where the milk of some farmers is having to be disposed of.

“Dairy farmers here can take a great deal of heart from the fact that our industry is driven by the cooperative ethos our forefathers had the foresight to choose for our sector,” he said.

Our co-ops have a strong track record of collaboration at peak to cope with processing capacity difficulties, which occur every year.

“They also process our milk mostly into long-life, storable commodities, not products destined for the food services trade, which is temporarily closed,” the chairman added.

Stating that he did not want to take from the seriousness of the coronavirus challenge, Phelan did, however, add:

“I know from ongoing, bi-weekly contact with stakeholders including processors, that they are working very hard together on contingency planning.

“At this point of the season, all is going as well as possible,” he said.

“Staff working in our plants and truck drivers collecting our milk are all working very hard and farmers appreciate this. Farmers are also playing our part to ensure the safety of all,” he added.

Management are working to anticipate staffing issues by training additional employees to do critical jobs; they are redirecting milk to a different plant where necessary, and I am very clear that all are committed to doing everything possible so that every drop of milk is collected and processed through peak and beyond.

“I have asked all co-ops to communicate in detail, regularly and frequently with their suppliers so they understand the specific challenges being encountered and how they are being dealt with by their co-op.

“We are all in this difficulty together, and we need to work hand-in-hand with our co-ops to ensure the sector can come through the challenge of the pandemic,” Phelan concluded.