ICMSA protesters welcome 10c milk price increase

DAIRYGOLD Co-op announced an increase of 10c per gallon for June milk last Monday — a decision welcomed by ICMSA members protesting outside the co-op meeting.

The announcement that Dairygold will now pay 32.6 cent per litre, including VAT, for June, leaves them on a par with other large milk processors, such as Kerry, Lakeland and Glanbia.

But the members of the north and east Cork sections of ICMSA, who protested outside the Dairygold headquarters at Cork Airport, demand a higher milk price to match the massive global price increases in dairy commodities.

ICMSA’s dairy committee chairman, Dominic Cronin, said he was disappointed that Dairygold did not grasp the opportunity to properly reward their members, based on market returns.

“The reality is that, in the last 12 months, the Irish Dairy Board has increased its price by 77 cent per gallon, and they are now paying out over 43c per litre for butter and skim. In comparison, the largest increase announced by any of our processors to date has been far short of this.”

The ICMSA man said this is unacceptable.