Northern Ireland Milk Price Tracker

Back Row Man

Member
Location
Co Antrim
DF lagging behind and Lakeland have no transport charges
The difference is well over 1p (my transport charge is 0.6p/l)+ 0.7p in the base price. Too big a difference, Dale Farm is clearly struggling, to keep up with a company that took over Leckpatrick which was on the point of collapse. Doesn't seem to be giving them any problems, wonder what Dale Farm’s excuse is this time?
 

GreenerGrass

Member
Location
Wilts
You can't read too much into one month milk price, certainly don't think DF struggling. Results seemed solid. Covid is exceptional times and will impact everyone a bit different depending on product mix.

With the advantage of looking back, the Lacpatrick and the Fane Valley deal both looking well timed for Lakeland. Bedded in nicely. At the time some were thinking ballyrashane was cursed and would take another coop down. Think Lakeland got a good handle on the value, and bid accordingly. Good move to buy processing capacity to allow expansion for their existing milk pool. The extra producers it brought (esp with the case of Lacpatrick) very much secondary benefit.
 

Back Row Man

Member
Location
Co Antrim
You can't read too much into one month milk price, certainly don't think DF struggling. Results seemed solid. Covid is exceptional times and will impact everyone a bit different depending on product mix.

With the advantage of looking back, the Lacpatrick and the Fane Valley deal both looking well timed for Lakeland. Bedded in nicely. At the time some were thinking ballyrashane was cursed and would take another coop down. Think Lakeland got a good handle on the value, and bid accordingly. Good move to buy processing capacity to allow expansion for their existing milk pool. The extra producers it brought (esp with the case of Lacpatrick) very much secondary benefit.
Oh the company has returned a solid set of results given the time we're in at the moment, but it's struggling to pay a competitive milk price, many large men moved back to Dale Farm after Leckpatrick nearly collapsed, some must be regretting that decision now.
 

Conrod96

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Co. Antrim
Oh the company has returned a solid set of results given the time we're in at the moment, but it's struggling to pay a competitive milk price, many large men moved back to Dale Farm after Leckpatrick nearly collapsed, some must be regretting that decision now.
We seriously looked at dale farm at that time, went with aurvivo instead and looking back now glad we did
 

The Agrarian

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Northern Ireland
We seriously looked at dale farm at that time, went with aurvivo instead and looking back now glad we did

I'm not in any way content with the current milk price. But you have to remember that this is but a snapshot in time. The game is far from over. What you feel now may not be what you feel in six months, or six years, or sixteen years.
 

yin ewe

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Co Antrim
I’ve been hearing that this twenty years “our day will come” 😭 what does z say- jam tomorrow 😂 no doubt df will raise price next month as volumes will have seriously dropped

Exactly this we've been fed the same rubbish over and over again, apart from some fairly rare occasions df have been lagging behind the others for years now.......o unless you're a new entrant, then there's money for everything.
 

The Agrarian

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Northern Ireland
Exactly this we've been fed the same rubbish over and over again, apart from some fairly rare occasions df have been lagging behind the others for years now.......o unless you're a new entrant, then there's money for everything.

Nobody's pleased with the price. But I think that's not a very balanced or factual account. Dale Farm, as a processor in its own right, as opposed to its former life as a milk broker, has not existed for very long really. And of that time, it's had its fair share of leading the league table, with very little splitting any of them in the last couple of years, until recently. So while it's essential that we voice our discontent and disquiet about recent performance, it's also important to keep a sense of perspective and balance when going through disappointments.

In the interests of balance, you would assume someone supplying Lakeland would be along to say publically that their price is only slightly less rubbish than DF's, given what Arla, and even First Milk and others are currently able to extract from the markets, and that they've spent a lifetime dragging along the bottom of the Republic league table. But that usually doesn't happen, even when they are behind DF. The reasons are understandable. United was the default position for a supplier. The overhang from MMB days meant that producers did not feel the need to blame themselves for performance - it was up to United to live up to expectations. Once a producer left for another company, however, they took the responsibility for that outcome upon themselves. When it fell short of expectations, and even when it was darn well petrifying in the lead up to and during the insolvencies, of which there were three biggish ones, and many small ones, there was no one else to blame for making that choice in the full knowledge that there might have been something not quite Kosher about the extra money they were getting/promised.

And so someone, perhaps an onlooking new entrant, or prospective one, might be tempted to take opinions and disappointment in isolation as fact. In reading today's thread, you wouldn't be aware that the last number of years since DFs transition to a fully fledged processor have been prosperous and very stable, while paying a broadly competitive price - in stark contrast to some of the pretty shocking events that have transpired elsewhere.
 
No dairy needs a pat on the back for paying a 1990s price. Dairy farming has been good to me but not in last 6-7 years. No young dairy farmer can do what was done in 90s and 00s.
My son is only 9 but if he has the ability to stay at school and uni , I will not be encouraging him to milk cows. If his choice is farming very good.
Theres nothing wrong with the fundamentals of milk production. That part works very well. It's the sales side. Maybe a fixed price contract is the way forward but certainly nothing under 30p.
Ultimately it's a cheap food policy we are competing against. Happy voters. No votes in high food prices. That's why a sfp will continue in some fashion, used simply to control food and food producers. Margaret becket said in the 90s...the world will be our bread basket. Even during brexit....we dont need farmers.
CAP came about because of the starvation of europe after the war. No one is hungry enough to care. Our only tool left is eah farmer to reduce supplies but I may as well talk to children let loose in a sweetie shop. Greed is often confused with ambition
What we are seeing atm is the death of the American century and the rise of Asia. So look east son
 
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Nobody's pleased with the price. But I think that's not a very balanced or factual account. Dale Farm, as a processor in its own right, as opposed to its former life as a milk broker, has not existed for very long really. And of that time, it's had its fair share of leading the league table, with very little splitting any of them in the last couple of years, until recently. So while it's essential that we voice our discontent and disquiet about recent performance, it's also important to keep a sense of perspective and balance when going through disappointments.

In the interests of balance, you would assume someone supplying Lakeland would be along to say publically that their price is only slightly less rubbish than DF's, given what Arla, and even First Milk and others are currently able to extract from the markets, and that they've spent a lifetime dragging along the bottom of the Republic league table. But that usually doesn't happen, even when they are behind DF. The reasons are understandable. United was the default position for a supplier. The overhang from MMB days meant that producers did not feel the need to blame themselves for performance - it was up to United to live up to expectations. Once a producer left for another company, however, they took the responsibility for that outcome upon themselves. When it fell short of expectations, and even when it was darn well petrifying in the lead up to and during the insolvencies, of which there were three biggish ones, and many small ones, there was no one else to blame for making that choice in the full knowledge that there might have been something not quite Kosher about the extra money they were getting/promised.

And so someone, perhaps an onlooking new entrant, or prospective one, might be tempted to take opinions and disappointment in isolation as fact. In reading today's thread, you wouldn't be aware that the last number of years since DFs transition to a fully fledged processor have been prosperous and very stable, while paying a broadly competitive price - in stark contrast to some of the pretty shocking events that have transpired elsewhere.
I’ve been to the area council meetings listened to the waffle of our great basket of products how we’ll not be at the bottom again. Guess what a few months later were at the bottom again. I said no more. As someone else on here said- I’m not wasting family time going to listen to that rubbish anymore. They do as they like anyway
 
I’m definitely not pleased with price, and something needs to be done about transport charges. Every DF meeting i mention it I’m told “ahhh but Lakeland have the cost built into their price” .... and I’m like YES and they still can pay same or more so that’s NO argument. Honestly don’t care about the past it’s now I have to pay my bills.
all DF suppliers need to vent their concerns to liaison officers or as high up the chain that you can.
maybe I’m all wrong and they will correct it with a 2 pence rise next month 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔!!!!!!
 

Suckndiesel

Member
Location
Newtownards
I’m definitely not pleased with price, and something needs to be done about transport charges. Every DF meeting i mention it I’m told “ahhh but Lakeland have the cost built into their price” .... and I’m like YES and they still can pay same or more so that’s NO argument. Honestly don’t care about the past it’s now I have to pay my bills.
all DF suppliers need to vent their concerns to liaison officers or as high up the chain that you can.
maybe I’m all wrong and they will correct it with a 2 pence rise next month [emoji848][emoji848][emoji848][emoji848][emoji848]!!!!!!

What would you change about the transport charges?
 

Whitewalker

Member
Milk price is one side of it and it’s not enough but the other hand is our costs and how much of our money is going to buy your neighbour a nice new car because you spend a fortune on fertiliser or machinery or land rent you maybe don’t need if you rejigged the system. We really need to ask ourselves what way we are farming and can we do it any differently because maybe if we dropped a 500 / 1000 litres a cow , got rid of the diet feeder or cut the meal, we maybe would see a healthier cow or a healthier farmer . Maybe if the system Destressed maybe it wouldn’t be as bad a we think it would be.
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 79 42.9%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 63 34.2%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 16.3%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 6 3.3%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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  • 1
As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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