Tírlan have being hosting a number of business and market outlook 2026 meetings during the week for its shareholders and suppliers.

The series of eight meetings started on Monday, January 12, and will run until Monday, January 19.

The meetings discussed the market outlook for 2026, the co-op's current financial performance, the current agri-support package available, its milk solids programme, nitrates derogation, and gave updates on current operations.

Tírlan chairperson, John Murphy kicked off the meeting by stating: "Your co-op is in a really strong position financially.

"We are well positioned for the next journey. These weak markets will pass - they always do - and in the meantime, we will support you in the very best we can as a farmer-owned co-op."

Chief finance and secretariat officer, Michael Horan highlighted the co-op has little to no debt as they operate a strict 1.6% profit after tax policy, with everything else returned to its suppliers.

CEO Sean Molloy told attendees that Tírlan will do everything in its power to helps its farmers in the period of economic downturn.

He said: "When we spoke on this webinar this time last year, we said that 2025 would be a year when confidence would return to dairy farming, and this forecast has certainly proved to be correct.

Milk price

Molloy confirmed that the co-op would continue to pay a base price in the region of the mid-30c/L for next four months.

The processor, which offered a base price of 50.5c/L in November 2024, has paid farmers a base price of 35.5C/L in November 2025, a 15c/L reduction in the year following a global oversupply which caused a rapid reduction in price since August.

In fact, the 2025 season saw the highest milk volume ever processed at Tírlan, with 3.234 million litres processed in the year.

Molloy confirmed that there was an additional 40,000t of additional dairy produce generated by Tírlan in 2025, however they still finished the year with record-low stock levels.

He said that Tírlan paid an average of 55c/L including constituents in 2025 as well as the agri-trade supports available and dividends from the PLC.

Molloy said, when all of this is added together: "Tírlan delivered an internationally leading total value return to our members in the year gone by."

He reiterated this statement by telling suppliers that despite the co-op's positioning in the milk leagues, the leagues do not include all payments and are therefore not an accurate reflection of the co-op's returns to farmers.

Chief ingredients officer with Tírlan, Aoife Murphy told the shareholders and suppliers present that the co-op typically has a contacting policy where product is sold three months ahead of sales to stay close to market.

However, Murphy said many customers - as well as themselves - were only willing to contract one month ahead in 2025 as the market became extremely volatile.

Chief operating and consumer officer, Jim O'Neill added that the new dairy tariffs imposed by China presents itself as a major issue, as 60% of the cream produced in the co-op's Monaghan site is exported to China.

Future proofing

Tírlan told its shareholders and suppliers that despite the real economic challenge on farms, the co-op is continuing to thrive towards future-proofing the business.

Suppliers were told this is being done through generational renewal schemes, fighting for nitrates derogation, and building infrastructure to add value to produce, as well as other schemes.

The co-op said its aim is to add value to each litre of milk and build a co-op of the future, one that is progressive, financially strong, and farmer-focussed.

Currently, the co-op is working on a solar farm and an anaerobic digester for the plant's effluent at the Ballyragget site, as well as a bag filter at the Virginia plant.

On top of that, Tírlan also announced a €126m state-of-the-art whey processing facility towards the end of 2025.

Tírlan's chief agri-officer, Ailish Byrne also confirmed that the co-op has invested €11 million in its agribusiness stores since 2023.