DAIRYGOLD is to increase its Grassroots Milk Supplier Sustainability Bonus by 33% which will see participating farmers receive €14m annually.
Launched in 2023, the Grassroots Milk Supplier Sustainability Bonus offered 0.75 cent per litre (equivalent) of milk to participating suppliers, with more than €17m paid out to suppliers.
The updated Milk Supplier Sustainability bonus offers Dairygold Milk Suppliers the opportunity to receive 1c cent per litre (equivalent) by participating in impactful sustainability actions, including protecting water quality, use of protected urea to reduce greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions, participation in a soil health programme, engaging in milk recording herd health and genetics programmes along with farmer training and education.
The updated 2025 Grassroots Milk Supplier Sustainability Bonus Programme includes new elements, focused on farm nutrient balance training and action, and on herd genetics.
Nutrient balance is a leading metric for water quality impact.
The herd genetics measures meanwhile, including dairy beef, will further enhance herd performance to support more sustainable and profitable farming.
Dairygold chairperson Seán O’Brien said the increased bonus is a reward to milk suppliers for the positive steps they are taking to make their farms even more sustainable.
‘We know that water quality is a priority issue for agriculture, and we’re committed to doing what we can to further drive action to protect and improve it across the Dairygold catchment. The updated training element of the Grassroots Bonus, encompassing individual nutrient balance training and action, will go a long way towards achieving those positive results,’ he said.
‘However, we also need to ensure we’re given the time to demonstrate the efficacy of these measures. We’re also confident that our strengthened focus on genetics, including dairy beef, will further enhance herd performance and productivity impacting positively on the bottom line for those farm enterprises and on the environment.’
Dairygold Chief Executive Michael Harte said the changes to the bonus programme reflect the changing nature of the challenges facing the agriculture industry.
‘We’re confident the updated Grassroots programme will go a long way towards addressing those challenges. We’re here to support our milk suppliers in their efforts to make the dairy industry more sustainable, as without them, there is no dairy industry.’
Ireland’s European Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection Michael McGrath was at the launch of the updated Grassroots Sustainability programme.
‘Dairy processors across Ireland, including Dairygold, are doing a lot of proactive work with their milk suppliers to improve the sustainability of our dairy industry,’ he said.
‘The dairy industry is Ireland’s largest and most successful indigenous industry, supporting thousands of farming families across the country. It’s through participation on programmes such as Grassroots that our family farms can future proof their operations to ensure we maintain our world-class dairy industry into the future.’
