Tirlán has announced that it will extend its rebate for suppliers for a second time amid continuing drought conditions.

The rebate available under the measure, which was first announced in early July, originally applied to all eligible orders between July 10 and August 5.

In late July Tirlán announced that this would be extended to August 15; and now, the processor has announced that the measure will continue to apply for orders up to August 21 and delivered by August 26.

Final order must be placed by 1:00p.m on August 21.

The support package offers rebates on agricultural inputs purchased from Tirlán.

A €40/t rebate applies on GAIN dairy feed; €10/t for Irish rolled cereals; €3/t on straight feed; and €20/t on fertiliser purchases.

Tirlán said that grass growth remains severely constrained across drought-affected parts of its catchment, with some areas experiencing little to no growth.

The business said it was extending the deadline for its support package "to help farmers protect valuable winter fodder reserves".

Milk volumes at Tirlán processing sites remain below expected levels, and milk percentages are also down on those seen in previous years.

The rebates are available to all Tirlán milk suppliers, with no cent-per-litre spend requirement. Rebates will be credited to trading accounts in September 2026.

Reasonable usage limits will apply.

Commenting after the latest extension to the rebate measure, Tirlán chairperson Ger O'Brien said: "The continuing lack of rainfall is placing significant pressure on grass growth and milk production across many family farms.

"As a farmer-owned co-operative, Tirlán understands the challenges our milk suppliers are facing and we remain committed to supporting members though this difficult period," O'Brien added.

According to the Tirlán chairperson, extending the support package will help farmers "maintain herd performance, protect valuable winter fodder reserves and make the best decisions possible for their businesses until growing conditions improve".

"We will keep the situation under review," O'Brien said.