Angry suppliers’ baptism of fire for new Dairygold boss

DUMP your unprofitable divisions before you cut milk prices to farmers, warned ICMSA last week as Dairygold Co-op gave its new Chief Executive a baptism of fire from its angry milk suppliers.

The co-op should first trim their operation by cutting out unprofitable operations and bringing more efficiency to processing before they take the easy option of reducing the milk price, said Gerard Quain, chairman of Limerick ICMSA.

After the farmers’ co-op cut the price paid to farmers for their February milk supplies, Mr Quain said: “It is unacceptable that farmers are the only sector asked to take a cut in income, after a very difficult year for all farmers. We have not heard anything about workers being asked to take a cut in their pay, or the society pleading inability to pay any increase granted under the new national agreement”, he said.