FARM FOCUS
Issue 91 – June 2025
Delivering a bright future for our young farmers Dear Suppliers,
It is hard to believe we are already at the halfway point of 2025. The first six months of the year have seen both weather and prices combine to ensure strong volumes of milk were produced on farm. Milk supply is up over 7% in the year to date compared with last year. The high volumes across the peak period were on a par with 2021. Over 89 million litres from Tirlán suppliers were processed on site during our busiest week - there were record volumes processed and it is fantastic to see all of our sites fully utilised. During the highest peak week in mid-May, our hauliers delivered over 3,360 loads, making over 15,950 collections from Tirlán suppliers or travelling the equivalent of 213 times around Ireland. Over the course of a single day, there were 481 loads delivered. We’d like to thank all of our suppliers for your hard work on farm and your patience as we worked through the peak period alongside our hauliers and all our operators. It was fantastic to have the opportunity to celebrate the high quality and standards on our farms at the Tirlán Dairy and Sustainability Awards. Congratulations to all our winners. Marketplace Our high quality products and ingredients are sought after in over 100 markets worldwide. Our teams are continuing to drive R&D in line with the growing global demand for protein. Our Solmiko and Promiko protein products continue to perform very well globally, especially in Europe and Asia. We recently launched a new 10 litre Avonmore Professional cream bag-in-box format for our customers at Bakery China, Shanghai. In the domestic market, our newly launched Avonmore Coffee Protein drink made with fresh milk and 100% arabica coffee beans has consistently increased orders over a short period of time. The innovation team are working on more new products and flavours for launch later in the year. Our Agri business is continuing to perform strongly, with excellent uptake of our Milk Solids Growth Programme. Our revamped Tirlán FarmLife branches are attracting new customers, with solid feed and fertiliser sales, while footfall at our CountryLife Garden Centres continues to grow. Also, the reorganisation of our front-line team ensures that our people in the regions can put the customer at the heart of all we do.
Pictured with the Byrne family from Dungarvan, Co Waterford, who won the Tirlán Milk Supplier of the Year award, were Tirlán CEO Seán Molloy; John’s mother Mary Byrne; Mary and John Byrne; John’s father Eamon Byrne; Tirlán Chair John Murphy and Molly Byrne. Photo Finbarr O’Rourke
Outlook
Generational Renewal
The market outlook for 2025 appears relatively stable, however, forecast returns are trending slightly below current milk prices. Ongoing uncertainty around international trade policy— particularly concerning U.S. tariffs—is contributing to volatility, while geopolitical tensions in the Middle East are also impacting global market confidence.
One of the major mounting issues facing this generation both in Ireland and internationally is ensuring that young people see their future in farming. Together, our industry and policy makers must ensure the next generation see a progressive, expanding industry with a bright future.
Sustainability & Nitrates Derogation
We must ensure that we do not arrive at a situation where as a nation and an industry we have delivered progress on the environment but endangered food security at a global level.
It is now six months to go to a decision on the retention of Ireland’s Nitrates Derogation post2026. Tirlán continues to advocate and highlight the importance of retaining a workable Nitrates Derogation for our grass-based family farm model. As we finalise this edition of Farm Focus, we are preparing to host a Farming for the Future event on economic performance, sustainable farming and protecting water quality on the farm of Seamus Brennan, in Attanagh, Co Laois. In July, our Chairperson, John Murphy is travelling to Brussels along with representatives from other Irish co-operatives to highlight the need for a continued focus on retaining the Derogation. Please continue to engage with our farm advisory services, and consider an application for the €60 million Farming for Water EIP. Agri Climate Conference At the recent Department of Agriculture’s Agriculture and Climate Change Science into Action conference, I had the opportunity on behalf of Tirlán to highlight the extraordinary progress within the sector and the excellent work our farmers are doing every single day to farm sustainably. Notwithstanding the current positive market dynamics, I also had the opportunity to reflect the very real challenges that our farmers and our co-operative is facing. The challenge of ensuring that the cost of sustainability is returned from the marketplace remains. As a sector, we will have to continue to engage with consumers to highlight that if they rightly want a product produced sustainably to the highest standards then it comes at a cost.
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE 2
Markets Update
8
Controlling Bacteria in Milk
3
Dairy & Sustainability Awards
9
Summer Scour Syndrome
4
Balmoral Show
10
Maximising Milk Solids
7
Bord Bía Bloom
11
Reseeding
We must increase our investment in targeted research and new technology to assist and equip our farmers to farm sustainably and grow outputs on farm, rather than curtail them. It is about balance. We must, of course, do the right thing by the environment and the climate challenge is real and impacting all in society, including our farmers. Yet, I would argue that Ireland also has a responsibility and is one of the best-placed countries to deliver sustainably produced dairy from a grass-based family farming model to meet the growing worldwide demand for proteins, along with high quality sustainable grain. Farm Safely During July, we will mark Farm Safety Week by supporting the vital work of Embrace FARM. Each year they provide core services for the families of those who have lost a loved one through farm injuries. With school holidays underway, we are urging everyone to be vigilant. Please continue to farm safely,