Jason Hawkins has been named as chief executive of Carbery Group, the global food ingredients, flavours, and cheese manufacturer headquartered in Ballineen, Co Cork.

Milk processors have taken the first step to create a milk futures market for Irish dairy farmers, by developing a milk price index for Ireland.

According to bookmakers, there is only one chance in four that the UK will vote today in favour of leaving the EU (in other words, you can get a 300% return by betting on Brexit).

A farmer co-operative which invested €1.2m in a wind farm company is entitled to be paid arrears of dividends over a three-year period, the High Court has ruled.

Dairy processor Carbery Group’s profits rose 22.4%, or almost €2m, to €10.57m last year, with turnover up 11% to €285m.

Shinagh dairy farm at Bandon, Co Cork, is an example of the new farm conversions which, along with existing family farms, could deliver the growth in milk deliveries targeted in the Food Harvest 2020 plan.

Nine dairy farms have been short-listed as finalists for the 2012 National Dairy Council & Kerrygold Quality Milk Awards. The nine are:

Lisavaird Co-op is equipped to process its anticipated dairy output increase of 40%, or about 12,000 tonnes of cheese, annually from 2015 onwards, says its chief executive Pat Moriarty.

Ireland’s dairy expansion goals would be hugely boosted if more co-ops adopted the active farmer-owned shareholding model used by Carbery, according to an agri-business consultant.

Carbery Group has confirmed plans to align milk volume to shareholding for its milk suppliers in the Bandon, Barryroe, Drinagh and Lisavaird co-ops.

Upwards of 500 farmers attended the recent farm walk on the Shinagh greenfield dairy farm at Bandon.

MILK quota allocations expected to rise from less than 100,000 litres to more than one million litres in 2014/2015 have been approved for the Shinagh, Bandon, Co Cork-based dairy research project being undertaken by Teagasc with the Bandon, Barryroe, Drinagh and Lisavaird co-ops and with Carbery Milk Products.

ION Equity, owners of Topaz petrol stations, has dismissed rumours of an impending sale of its SWS subsidiary.

A DECISION by Lisavaird Co-op in West Cork to pay a bonus of 7.5 cents per gallon for 2007 milk — 3,750 for a 50,000-gallon producer — has been welcomed by the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association.

CARBERY Milk Products in Ballineen, Co Cork, has tapped into a new market — Ireland’s motorists.

THERE is no doubt that Irish co-ops have the decision makers and management to become world beaters.

LEADING figures of the four west Cork Co-ops met yesterday amid speculation that the Ion Equity bid of over €100m for SWS of Bandon had hit a snag.

SWS GROUP is a diversified services venture operation based at Shinagh House, Bandon, West Cork.

CARBERY Group, the cheese-to-ingredients business based in Ballineen, Co Cork, has reported a good year for 2005.

THE reappointment of Ernst & Young as auditors to SWS of Bandon was opposed at the group’s annual general meeting.

THE board of South Western Services (SWS) of Bandon, Co Cork yesterday accepted a €64m offer from IAWS Co-op for its business outsourcing and energy divisions.

WEST CORK co-operatives, Bandon, Drinagh, Barryroe and Lisavaird are moving closer to a deal with IAWS Co-Op for its South Western Services subsidiary based in Bandon.

SOUTH Western Services board of directors will hold a crucial meeting with IAWS boss Philip Lynch on March 30.

SOUTH Western Services’ (SWS) future still hung in the balance following a frank and open meeting of the board yesterday.