After losing out to Dale Farm in August, Tirlán / Fivemiletown is back at the top of the NI milk league of prices paid for September milk.
Tirlán has now led our analysis in 10 of the last 11 months, with the co-op adding 0.85p/l to its starting price taking it to 33.4p/l. Once adjustments are made for milk quality it is a final price of 38p/l, paid to a typical NI 750,000l supplier producing butterfat and protein at the NI average.
That Tirlán starting price is to remain unchanged for the rest of the year. For October milk, a 3p/l winter bonus kicks in, which should take the co-op to over 41p/l – it will be the highest price paid for NI milk since the summer of 2025.
Milk solids
Monthly production in September is the lowest of the year, but with that comes high solids. Our calculations use actual figures recorded by DAERA in the same month in 2025 when butterfat averaged 4.41%, with protein at 3.49%, TBC of 19 and SCC at 213.
When compared to our August analysis, butterfat is up 0.2 percentage points and protein has increased 0.11 points. Across the six main dairy processors in NI, this increase in solids adds between 1.18p and 1.5p/l to prices paid.
Behind Tirlán, Dale Farm has dropped to second after it held its starting price unchanged in September at 33.8p/l once the 0.3p loyalty bonus is included.
That price is ahead of Tirlán and that is also before we factor in the Dale Farm Milk Production Realignment (MPR) scheme money, with an average payout in September of 0.63p/l.
However, Dale Farm has lower hygiene and volume bonuses than Tirlán as well as transport charges. With fewer litres collected in September, those charges work out at 0.49p/l for a 750.000l supplier, compared to 0.46p/l in the previous month.
Looking at the current payment systems of both processors, the higher solids produced in September also add slightly more to the Tirlán price.
However, that particular situation will be reversed in October once new butterfat and protein increments are applied by Dale Farm.
Between October and December, each 0.01% change in butterfat is up marginally from 0.032p to 0.033p/l but the protein increment is moving from 0.067 to 0.076p/l. If those new increments had applied in September the final Dale Farm price would have been 0.28p/l higher than it was.
Other positions
Behind the top two, Strathroy has consolidated its place in third after adding 1p/l to base, taking it to 33p/l. Its final price of 36.16p/l is after adjustments for milk quality and hygiene, as well as a 0.2p Red Tractor bonus, however, there are no volume bonuses included in our Strathroy calculations.
Both Lakeland Dairies and Aurivo increased their base prices by 0.5p/l, although Lakeland is now ahead of its rival in fourth, mainly thanks to a 50% increase in its volume bonus, which applies from September to December.
Leprino is over 1p adrift at the bottom and it is now the third month in a row when we have not factored in its 0.75p/l Mozzarella bonus because SCC has averaged over 200.
Rolling prices
Shown alongside our main league analysis is the average price paid by each processor to a typical 750,000l producer over the 12-month period from October 2025 to September 2026.
Tirlán has extended out its advantage over Dale Farm at the top of the table to nearly 1.2p/l, with Aurivo remaining third, while Strathroy has moved ahead of Lakeland into fourth.
Payout
Prices in our 750,000l league are compared each month using a standard litre, however, as shown in Figure 1, milk quality varies across each company.
These actual milk qualities are used to produce an estimated payout by each processor to a typical 750,000l supplier.
With just 7% of supply in September, those milk cheques are at their lowest point of the year. When compared to peak litres in May, the average payout is down £4,800.
