Glanbia Co-op has confirmed a Patronage Support Package will be paid to members on all qualifying feed and fertiliser purchased in 2017.

All purchases in the year to date will also be included in the package, it added.

The Board of Glanbia Co-operative Society recently announced the details of the 2017 Agri-Inputs and Grain Patronage Support Package for grain growers, as well as feed and fertiliser customers.

As per 2016, this will provide Glanbia Co-op members with a loyalty bonus of €7/t on all 2017 feed and fertiliser purchased from Glanbia.

Meanwhile, a loyalty bonus of at least €5/t on all green grain and €2/t on all dried grain, supplied to Glanbia by members in 2017, will also be included in the package.

This support is subject to a minimum spend of €40/t on qualifying inputs, according to Glanbia.

Glanbia aims to support its members in 2017 with the help of this support package, the Chairman of Glanbia Co-operative Society, Henry Corbally, said.

“A key pillar of our strategy in Glanbia Co-op is to support active members.

At this busy time on farms we are pleased to be in a position to confirm a Patronage Support Package, related to the purchase of agri-inputs and the supply of grain in 2017.

Glanbia extends MilkFlex Loan Fund

Glanbia Co-op, the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund, Rabobank and Finance Ireland have recently announced the extension of the ‘Glanbia MilkFlex Fund’ until the end of December 2017.

The fund offers “flexible, competitively-priced” loans to Glanbia milk suppliers, with loan repayments that vary according to seasonality and movements in milk price.

The purpose of the fund is to provide Glanbia milk suppliers in the Republic of Ireland with an “innovative funding product to support investment in on-farm productive assets” (including livestock, milking platform infrastructure and land improvement).

Since its arrival on the market in May 2016, the MilkFlex fund has received loan applications totalling €43m and has provided loans with an average value of €100,000.