Tirlán has unveiled a €1.7 million support package to help dairy farmers weather the impact of soaring temperatures and prolonged dry conditions.

The co-op today (Friday, July 10) said the hot, dry weather has reduced grass growth for its milk suppliers and in turn has increased "the need for purchased feed and conserved forage".

According to Tirlán the support package, which comes into effect today, aims to help farmers "maintain herd performance, sustain milk output and protect valuable winter feed reserves".

The support package includes:

€40/tonne rebate on all GAIN dairy feed;
€10/tonne rebate on Irish rolled cereals;
€3/tonne rebate on all straights;
€20/tonne rebate on all fertiliser purchased.

According to the co-op it applies to "qualifying products" ordered between July 10 and August 5 and delivered on or before August 8 this year.

Tirlán has also confirmed that this support package will be available to all milk suppliers with a no cent-per-litre spend requirement.

Rebates will be credited to qualifying customers' trading accounts in September 2026 but "reasonable usage limits" will also apply.

Tirlán

Ailish Byrne, chief agribusiness officer at Tirlán, said that the recent dry weather has "placed significant pressure on many dairy farms".

Byrne said in particular grass growth is slowing and this in turn then forces farmers to use "supplementary feed".

She added: "This package will help farmers respond to those challenges while preserving valuable winter fodder stocks.

Met Éireann

Met Éireann has issued a Status Yellow High Temperature warning for: Carlow; Kildare; Kilkenny; Laois; Longford; Meath; Offaly; Westmeath; Wexford; Limerick; Tipperary; Waterford.

The warning comes into effect at 3:00p.m today, Friday, July 10 and will remain in place until 7:00a.m on Sunday, July 12.

The conditions are expected to bring maximum temperatures in excess of 27°C combined with overnight temperature minimums in excess of 15°C.