50cpl Base Fully Justified For May Milk –  ICMSA. 

Speaking in advance of May milk price announcements, the Chairperson of ICMSA’s Dairy Committee, Mr. Noel Murphy said that a 50cpl base price (3.3% protein, 3.6% fat) is fully justified for May milk and Co-op boards should resist any attempt for milk price reductions for May given the current conditions in the marketplace.   

The reality, Mr. Murphy said, is that milk supplies globally and in particular in the EU remain constrained and there is no evidence to suggest that milk supplies will increase to any great extent in the foreseeable future while demand for dairy products is strengthening in advance of the holiday period and dairy demand is looking strong in the medium term.   The GDT is higher today than it was at the start of 2025, the average milk price across the EU is at 53c/kg while the Dutch quotations have shown improvements in the order of 2cpl over the course of May and it would be simply unacceptable for milk processors, some of whom are conditioning farmers for a reduction, to cut milk prices to boost their own profits for 2025.   The reality, Mr. Murphy said, is that no one else in the milk processor supply chain will be taking or expected to take a cut and Co-op boards are fully justified in insisting that milk price is set at least at 50 cpl for May milk and provide dairy farmers with the confidence to invest in their business and for the next generation to reconsider dairying as an attractive option for their future career.

It is clear at this stage that dairy markets are relatively stable and dairy farmers expect at a minimum that their milk will remain stable or else move up to 50cpl if currently below that level, concluded Mr. Murphy.

ENDS  6 June 2025

Noel Murphy is at (086) 3815575

ICMSA Head Office (061) 314677