Lakeland Dairies has announced the price it will pay to farmer suppliers for April milk.

Lakeland announced that its board has agreed on an increased milk price, boosting its offering by 0.75c/L.

This will result in a base price of 37c/L at constituents of 3.6% butterfat and 3.3% protein, to be paid for milk supplied from the Republic of Ireland.

This price is inclusive of the 0.5c/L Sustainability Incentive Payment.

In Northern Ireland, a base price of 29.60p/L will be paid for April milk, which is an increase of 0.75p/L.

The Northern Ireland price also includes the Sustainability Incentive Payment.

Lakeland said that, generally, the market remains similar to last month, as global supply continues to outpace demand and ongoing geopolitical tensions continue to bring uncertainty.

"Positively, powder markets have strengthened over the last month, but have been somewhat offset by weaker returns from butter and other fat products," the processor said in statement.

Lakeland Dairies said it will continue to monitor the markets and will "endeavour to support our farmers with the best milk price possible in line with market conditions".

Dairy cow numbers

In other dairy sector news, the number of dairy cows in Ireland rose by 0.6% to over 1.49 million in the year to December 2025.

New figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show that the total number of cattle decreased by 24,200 to 6.28 million (-0.4%).

While the number of dairy cows rose, the number of other cows dropped by 2.2% to 750,600.

In terms of dairy cows, Co. Cork (352,700) has more than either the northern and western region (179,000) or eastern and midland region (268,600).

Nitrates derogation

Dairy farmers are also being urged to act now, with the closing date for 2026 nitrates derogation applications fast approaching.

Applications must be submitted by Friday, May 15, 2026, and missing the deadline could have major implications for farm stocking rates and compliance.

By applying for a nitrates derogation, a herd owner is applying for permission to apply livestock manure (organic) nitrogen at a level in excess of 170 kg Nitrogen/hectare (N/ha).