Tel: 028 3026 2311 | www.lakeland.ie | Twitter: @DairiesJP

TOGETHER WE’RE STRONGER

December 2020

Looking after your silage pit reaps rewards

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The importance of taking care of the silage pit > page 2

This has been an extraordinary year that has challenged everyone in our communities in unprec-edented ways.

The pandemic crisis has torn at the heart of everything we care about in society. We express our sympathy to anyone affected or be-reaved by COVID-19.

We also owe an immense debt of gratitude to everyone who has worked so hard to protect us - the frontline workers, you our milk producers and all of our staff, who have risen so strongly to the chal-lenge.

In spite of the circumstances of the past year, I urge you to look forward with a sense of optimism to the new year and onwards.

Through the combined co-op-erative efforts of everyone involved with Lakeland Dairies, we have stayed strong and resilient and maintained the maximum possible operating capability in the inter-ests of our farm families and the customers who we supply through-out the world.

You may be justifiably proud of your farming achievements which underpin the ongoing success of Lakeland Dairies.

As a farmer owned, farmer controlled co-operative, Lakeland Dairies is a large scale global pro-vider of the highest quality dairy food ingredients, foodservice and consumer products, providing sat-isfaction and wholesome nutrition for millions of people worldwide every day.

Each of our 3,200 farm families supports this success story with the 1.85bn litres of high quality milk that we are proud to collect and process into over 200 differ-ent dairy products - exported to 80 countries globally.CHALLENGES

Of course, while we see many global opportunities, there are ma-jor complexities in our operating environment that we will need to cope with in the years ahead.

The impacts of Brexit will take

months and years to iron out. We have contingency plans in place and will continue to operate on the most competitive platform pos-sible. It remains to be seen how the first quarter of 2021 will emerge.

Global milk supply will grow by some 1.6% this year with the EU, New Zealand and United States all in growth mode and strong de-mand in Asia.

If the pandemic situation eases, consumer confidence will improve and this will have a positive effect on the markets, however Brexit represents a serious downside risk.

We will continue to monitor the markets closely in the months ahead.SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

As a co-operative, our mission is to create a sustainable future for dairy farmers, through the ongo-ing development of our global sup-ply chain where we have long term customers throughout the world and the ability to serve their evolv-ing needs long into the future.

This capability is based on our innovation, quality, flexibility and reliability in meeting market de-mands.

Operating to the highest stan-dards of food safety and quality, we will also continue to ensure that our business supports environ-mental sustainability and wellbe-

ing. In doing so, it will remain our

constant policy to pay the highest possible milk price consistent with market conditions.

The current pandemic is still ongoing and the benefits of the new vaccination programme will take significant time to be realised.

Collectively, we must all stay vigilant and continue to constantly observe the protective measures that are in place to prevent the spread of Coronavirus.

Thank you very much for ob-serving all of the necessary mea-sures to date.

This must continue at all times throughout the new year to protect our business and the livelihoods of our farm families.

I wish to thank all Milk Pro-ducers, Regional Committees, the Board, Vice-Chairs, the Chairman, my management colleagues and our entire staff throughout our or-ganisation, for your strong support and excellent contribution to Lake-land Dairies, particularly through-out the past year.

On behalf of all of us at Lake-land Dairies I wish you a very Hap-py Christmas and a safe, healthy, successful and prosperous new year.

Michael G. HanleyGroup Chief Executive

Wishing everyone a Happy Christmas

I urge you to look forward with a sense of optimism to the new year and onwards

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TOGETHER WE’RE STRONGER

Soil Sampling Programme ‘20/’21

Top tips for managing silage pit lossesProper management of the silo face

can help maximize performance and profitability.

Silage that is exposed to oxygen prematurely can heat and mould. In the presence of oxygen, yeast can metabo-lize lactic acid, a strong acid that keeps the silage pH low.

When pH increases, undesirable fungi and bacteria are able to grow and further spoil the silage.

This spoilage is translated into dry matter (DM) losses that can be as high as 10% when face management is poor.

This feed has a lower nutritive value for dairy cattle and can decrease feed intake and thus performance.

Keeping a clean face on the silage pit will reduce the amount of waste fodder during winter.

Outlined below are some tips for managing the pit once opened.1. KEEP THE SHEAR GRAB SHARP FOR A CLEAN CUT

The shear grab performs two func-tions. As well as cutting blocks of silage, it also seals the face of the pit to stop air from entering. Sealing the pit face stops silage from spoiling. Therefore, make sure the shear grab is sharpened regularly.2. KEEP THE PIT FACE EVEN

When cutting silage from the pit, it is important to work from top to bot-tom, then move across the pit face. This keeps the pit face even and reduces the surface area in contact with air, keeping spoilage to a minimum. 3. WORK ACROSS THE FACE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE

Ideally, work from one side of the pit to the other over the course of a week. This will keep the pit face fresh. If it is taking longer than a week to work from one side to the other, the clamp

face is more likely to heat, turn black or grow mould. To move across the face of the clamp at a faster rate, cut shallower blocks of silage.4. REMOVE WASTE

Remove spoiled silage from the top and sides of the pit before cutting fresh blocks for feeding. Mould on fodder can cause pregnant cows to abort and increases the risk of listeriosis.5. REMOVING THE COVER SAFELY

Think about safety when removing the pit cover. When possible, try to remove the cover during daylight. Plastic can be slippery, especially after rain or heavy frost, so always work with caution. Make sure tyres are cleared to reduce the risk or tripping. Also, wear gloves, as old tyres can have wire exposed. Finally, always use a ladder that is properly secured to climb on the pit.

An examples of a badly maintained silage pit An examples of a well maintained silage pit

Keeping a

clean face on the silage pit will reduce the amount

of waste fodder during

winter.

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TOGETHER WE’RE STRONGER

Each December, Lakeland Dairies hosts information meetings for sup-pliers to get an opportunity to see how their co-op has performed during the course of the year.

Despite the COVID-19 restrictions on hosting and attending events, these supplier meetings will take place this week. They will be held not in person but online.

In order to attend the online meet-ing, we must have your email ad-dress. If you do not receive your milk statement by email – – please contact us immediately to register for the meet-ings.

If you do receive your statments by email you don’t need to do anything and the link will be sent to you prior to the meeting.

The meetings will be attended by Lakeland Dairies’ chairman Alo Duffy, Lakeland Dairies’ CEO Michael G Han-ley, Mark Delahunty (Lakeland Agri General Manger) and General Manager of Member Relations, Eamon Duignan.

There will be a business update, an outlook on the dairy markets and the Agri division as well as the current Brexit state of play.

For suppliers from Antrim, Londonderry / Derry and Down the meeting will take place on Thursday 17th December at 11am.

For suppliers from Armagh, Fermanagh and Tyrone the meet-ing will take place on Thursday 17th December at 2pm.

Supplier information meetings this week

Make sure to download the MilkedIn AppWe would like to remind you to down-

load the free Lakeland Dairies MilkedIn App.

Since we launched the app earlier this year, hundreds of Lakeland Dairies farm-ers have downloaded it and are seeing the benefits of having it on a daily basis.

The innovative MilkedIn app is free for our 3,200 milk suppliers to help streamline their access to important farm information.

Lakeland Dairies MilkedIn is a free app available to all Lakeland Dairies suppliers which allows farmers keep on top of their daily herd performance, review milk test results, look back at collection histories and compare data with previous years.

The user-friendly and free MilkedIn app is available for download for Apple and Android devices through the iPhone App and Google Play stores.

The development and launch of the Lakeland Dairies’ MilkedIn app is another step in a continual process of Lakeland Dairies providing suppliers with all the necessary information they need to make sound and informed decisions regarding their own herd.HAPPY USERS

General Manager of Lakeland Dairies Member Relations, Eamon Duignan said:

“Hundreds of our suppliers are getting great use of out the MilkedIn app. It has all the key information you need about your milk quality, collection history and other useful information.

“The Member Relations team is hearing directly from farmers how beneficial the app is and we again encourage those who have not downloaded it to do so.”

NI farmers wanted for ‘Beacon’ farm projectA leading local research organisation

has warned that farming must develop ways to prove and communicate its sus-tainability credentials to an increasingly sceptical public.

Farmer-funded research body AgriSearch has announced plans to develop a network of up to 50 “Beacon” farms across Northern Ireland to gather evidence for research into sustainable livestock farming systems that deliver for people, planet and profit.

Forming a key part of AgriSearch’s new strategy, the Beacon network will benchmark carbon sequestration on-farm, quantify the benefit of ecosys-tem services delivered by farmers, and encourage the development of innovative, resilient and sustainable farm systems.

An information pack and links to the on-line application form can be found on the AgriSearch website www.agrisearch.org

As we approach the end of the year, we wanted to remind you of the details regarding the 2020 Lakeland Dairies Out-of-Season scheme.

In November and December, a 3p/l payment will be made to all Lakeland Dairies milk suppliers.

The Out-of-Season payment will be made to all farmers who supply milk in the months of November and Decem-ber.

Milk Suppliers must supply for the month of January in order to qualify for December bonus paymentFIXED PRICE SCHEME SUCCESS

The latest Lakeland Dairies fixed price contract offered to suppliers has proven to be extremely well received.

Suppliers who signed up to the scheme have been given a 5% or 10% allocation as requested. Suppliers will be paid a minimum base price of 28p/l from October to March and 26p/l from April to September.

Out-of-Season scheme

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TOGETHER WE’RE STRONGER

Contact The Lakeland Dairies Member Relations Division works closely with all our milk producers to help drive profitability at farm level as well as providing infor-mation on the progress of the Society. We are always excited to hear from new entrants. Contact us by calling 1890 47 47 20 (ROI) or 028 3026 2311 (NI).

It’s crucial to test for antibiotics in your milk As autumn herds are calving down and for farmers preparing for the 2021 spring calving season, it is critical that every step is made to

ensure that antibiotic milk does not make it into the bulk tank. There has been a worrying increase in the number of farmers failing antibiotic tests in 2020. This brings huge cost to the co-op and

also brings unnecessary Department attention to farmers too. Simple steps can avoid this cost and burden.

ANTIBIOTIC SNAP TESTTo help farmers detect the presence of antibiotics in milk, Lakeland Dairies is offering the sale of the Snap Beta-Lactum ST Plus /

Antibiotic test. The snap test is an on-farm test for antibiotic residues in milk. The test is both fast and accurate and can be used as an aid on farm to

detect antibiotic residues. Many farmers have already carried out the snap tests and found them easy to use, providing tremendous peace of mind. We would

encourage all farmers to carry a bank of them over the busy spring calving period to ensure your milk is as it should be. It is critical that the test is performed and interpreted correctly to ensure results are accurate. It is recommended that a supplier carries

out a number of trial tests before relying on it completely.

Snap tests are available to purchase for £3 each + VAT from Member Relations by contacting 028 3026 2311.

The dairy markets are delicately poised As we head into the Christmas

period, the dairy markets are delicately poised.

The dynamic between the supply of milk and the demand from buyers continues to be the main driving force influencing the markets.

A serious concern is the level of milk still being produced in New Zealand and the US.

US milk production is on track to reach 98bn litres this year, which would be a record high for US milk supply.EUROPE

In Europe, we are still seeing gains being made in the main production

countries of France, Germany and the Netherlands. In ROI, milk production for the first 10 months of 2020 is up 4% to 7.6bn litres meaning that the island will finish the year north of 10bn litres.

This is a considerable milk pool but still pales the next of the US or New Zealand.

While economies and societies have reopened coming up to Christmas, it remains to be seen what, if any, bounce there will be especially for Foodservice with the COVID cloud still looming large. VACCINATION

Until a largescale vaccination pro-

gramme is rolled out, it is highly likely that the current approach to dealing with the virus will continue to see a stop-start approach to the Foodservice sector. Buyers are remaining cautious out into 2021 as they await to see how supply, Brexit and COVID-19 will look in the early months of next year.

In terms of prices, there has been little in the way of movement for many of the main products. Prices for butter, skimmed milk powder and whole milk powder are tracking stable in the main

Lakeland Dairies will continue to monitor the market closely in the com-ing weeks.

A shipping container full of product on the sea. Dairy markets are delicately poised at present with supply and demand just about in control

1st January 2021 deadline for chlorine-free washesAs has been communicated through previous articles the board of Ornua has passed a resolution to ban the use of all Chlorine-based detergents and cleaning agents used for milking machine and bulk tank washing from 1st January 2021. Lakeland Dairies is in full support of this resolution and in order to comply the use of Chlorine Free deter-gents on farms is required from 1st January 2021. Chlorate testing will happen on a monthly 2021. For assistance making the switch to Chlorine Free detergent or advice on the best wash routine for your system contact member relations on 028 3026 2311.