Glanbia will pay 20c/L (including VAT) on milk volumes that are lost due to the impact of Storm Emma.

As a result of the vast majority of the Glanbia milk catchment area being affected by the Status Red weather alert zone in recent days, the processor said the situation has forced the “complete shutdown” of farm milk collection and processing activities for a period.

Although milk collection has today (Saturday) resumed in some areas; it is only where the roads are safe and accessible.

In a statement Glanbia said: “The scale of the backlog and the state of rural roads means that it will take significant time (depending on conditions) to reach all dairy farms.

“In some cases this will be too late to collect milk of appropriate quality for processing, or to reach farms before bulk tanks exceed their capacity.

“In response to the exceptionally challenging situation in our catchment, Glanbia has decided to assist farmers where milk is lost due to the impact of the storm.

In the event that a farm insurance policy does not cover milk lost, Glanbia will pay 20c/L (including VAT) on milk volumes that are lost due to the impact of this extremely significant weather event.

Glanbia Group chairman Henry Corbally praised the efforts made by suppliers, hauliers and staff to ensure that milk was collected from the majority of farmers immediately prior to the storm’s onset.

“I would urge any farmer in difficulty to contact their local farm development or milk quality manager. Finally, please keep your own personal safety to the forefront at this challenging time,” he said.

Kerry Group update

Meanwhile, it is understood that Kerry Group agribusiness trucks are back on the road for milk collections today.

A Kerry Group spokesperson said: “We will prioritise suppliers with storage capacity issues.”