Kerry Group has announced its milk price for June supplies, deciding to hold its offering of 37c/L from last month.
The group confirmed the base price figure, based on constituents of 3.3% protein and 3.6% butterfat, including VAT, in a statement today (Monday, July 17).
Based on average Kerry milk supply solids for June, the average price return is expected to be 39.01c/L, including VAT and any bonuses.
The processor said the prices for commodity dairy have “fallen again in the past month with prices in the EU, US and GDT [Global Dairy Trade] auction moving in the same direction”.
“The demand has declined further with end users well-stocked, slow to call off existing orders, and slow to contract new volume,” a Kerry Group spokesperson added.
“Milk supply is currently more than enough to cover falling demand adding to downward price pressure,” the spokesperson said.
The latest Kerry Group milk price comes after two protests by its suppliers, demanding that the processor bring its milk price in line with other processors.
The first protest took place outside the processor’s dairy plant in Charleville, Co. Cork on June 20, in which some 500 suppliers took part.
The second protest took place at the Kerry Group headquarters in Tralee, Co. Kerry, last Tuesday (July 11).
These protestors say that they have been paid 3.7c/L less than suppliers of neighbouring processor Dairygold for all milk supplied in the first five months of 2023.
The demonstrations followed the milk price announcement from Kerry Group last month which saw a cut to base price of 1c/L to 37c/L for May milk.
Pat Enright, a Kerry Group milk supplier from Castleisland, Co. Kerry, told Agriland at the Tralee protest: “We’re gone under the cost of production. Bills are mounting, they need to be paid.”
He had said that the suppliers felt they had “no choice” but to take to the streets again.