July 2025 | Ireland – Lakeland Dairies, one of Ireland’s leading dairy cooperatives, has become the first processor to announce its milk price for June 2025, opting to hold rates steady despite increased milk supply pressures in global markets.
This decision provides a sense of pricing stability for over 3,200 milk suppliers across both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, while reflecting a watchful stance toward global supply-demand dynamics.
📦 Milk Price Breakdown for June 2025
🇮🇪 Republic of Ireland:
-
Base Milk Price: 46.86 cents per litre (c€/L) (excluding VAT)
- Based on standard 3.6% butterfat and 3.3% protein
- Includes:
- 0.47 c€/L unconditional bonus
- 0.47 c€/L sustainability incentive
🇬🇧 Northern Ireland:
- Base Milk Price: 40.3 pence per litre (p€/L)
- Includes:
- 0.5 p€/L unconditional bonus
- 0.5 p€/L sustainability incentive
Both prices reflect current global dairy market conditions, where prices for butter and cheese have been relatively stable, but global supply has shown signs of surplus.
🌍 Global Context: Stability Meets Supply Caution
Lakeland’s pricing decision comes amid:
- Steady global dairy markets, especially in butter and cheese
- Concerns over milk supply volumesare growing across key regions
- Mounting pressure on commodity balance, prompting processors to remain cautious
In a statement, Lakeland Dairies noted:
“While global dairy markets remain stable for now, strong milk supply is beginning to influence the balance. We will continue to monitor the market closely.”
This price hold follows the co-op’s commitment to ensuring fair farmgate returns while maintaining market discipline.
🧭 Why This Matters for Indian Dairy Stakeholders
Though Lakeland’s announcement pertains to the Irish market, it holds valuable insights for Indian dairy cooperatives and processors, particularly in the following areas:
- Global Benchmarking: As India’s exports of value-added dairy products rise, keeping track of international milk pricing trends helps maintain competitiveness.
- Sustainability Incentives: Lakeland’s bonuses for sustainable production offer a roadmap for Indian dairies to incentivise responsible practices.
- Price Stability vs. Surplus Management: With milk oversupply also becoming an issue in parts of India, especially during flush seasons, price-holding strategies and bonus structures could offer useful mitigation tools.
