Hundreds of people attended a meeting in Co. Cork last night (Monday, January 13) to discuss ongoing concerns among Dairygold milk suppliers.

Many suppliers in attendance expressed their frustration at the price being paid for milk by Dairygold and about how they feel the co-op is being run.

The meeting in the Firgrove Hotel in Mitchelstown was organised by Dairygold milk supplier Niall Twomey from Cork.

Twomey told Agriland that there has been huge changes in the last 10 years since milk quotas were abolished. He believes that Dairygold is now "top heavy" and has "lost the co-op ethos".

"Our ancestors built this co-op milking cows by hand and drawing milk to the creamery in milk churns by horse and cart.

"The grain trading began in Dairygold from farming families harvesting crops of wheat, oat and barley using hand tools.

"The farmers deserve to know how the co-op is being managed day-to-day and where our money is being spent," he said.

Twomey also believes that Dairygold is "bowing to the government and media narrative in relation to carbon emissions and water quality".

"Farmers and agricultural contractors have spent millions of Euro in recent years on low emission slurry spreading (LESS) equipment for no great benefit to the growing of grass or the environment," he said.

Suppliers at last night's meeting agreed to several key demands which should be presented to Dairygold management.

These include the immediate scrapping of the loyalty bonus scheme; planned capital investment for 2025 to be shelved and the notice period for milk suppliers seeking to leave Dairygold be reduced to three months.

During the meeting a committee was also chosen to represent the unhappy Dairygold suppliers.

This committee includes Twomey, Ned O’Keeffe, a former Fianna Fáil TD from Cork, Eoin Bourke from Limerick, Tadgh McSweeney from Cork, and Nigel Sweetnam, a dairy and poultry farmer from Cork.

This group will now hold a private gathering before seeking a meeting with the Dairygold chief executive, Michael Harte, chair Pat Clancy, vice-chair Donal Shinnick, along with a separate discussion with the co-op board.

Twomey said that the "number 1 priority is for Dairygold to be in the top 2 in the next milk price league".

He warned that if the demands of milk suppliers are not met then "very strong industrial action is planned".

Nigel Sweetnam, who is also the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) National Poultry Committee chair, told Agriland that he had "never seen so much anger in a room" as he did at last night's meeting.

He said that the meeting "shone a poor light" on farm organisations that they have not highlighted the concerns of suppliers.

Sweetnam added that he was impressed by the number of young people present at the meeting, adding that they are fighting for them and their future.

On a personal level, Sweetnam said that he had been disappointed with Dairygold for not initially supporting protests to retain Ireland's nitrates derogation. He acknowledged that the co-op is now supportive of the campaign.