Dairygold is to convene a special general meeting on April 11th. It will follow the society’s AGM. All members will receive notification of the meeting early next week. Both meetings will be held in the Powder Store on Dairygold’s milk processing site in Mallow. The AGM will get under way at 10.30am with the SGM planned to start at 12.30pm.

At a meeting in Mallow on Thursday night last of Dairygold’s Regional Committees, Dairygold famers voiced strong support for Dailygold’s post quota plan. A ringing endorsement of the plan was given in a number of speeches from the floor.

The meeting was told that 80% of milk suppliers have now signed up to the new milk supply agreement. The Co-op is said to be confident of similar support from its farming members for its post quota plan which they pointed out has been two years in planning and consultation.

Dairygold management told the meeting that the society had addressed in detail all of the issues raised by the opposing group whom it said was persisting with what the Society states to be “sensational, unfounded, provocative and misleading claims and commentary in the media.” It was claimed that the opposing group also refused the offer to meet with the board and management to discuss their concerns, seeking to convene an SGM instead.

The meeting heard that a motion in support of the Co-op’s post quota plan had also been received by the Society and that motion and two others would be up for consideration by members at the SGM. The other two, tabled by the Dairygold Milk Suppliers and Shareholders Group, call on (1) the Co-op to set aside the Milk Supply Agreement and (2) call for independent milk testing to be introduced immediately by the Co-op.

The regional committees meeting went on to address some of the information being cited by the group opposed to Dairygold’s post quota plan, to do with milk forecasting, the financial impact on suppliers expanding and the cost of dryers. They justified their investment of €105M investment in Mallow on two seven and a half tonne per hour dryers, saying their figures have been verified by independent experts.

In concluding the meeting Dairygold Chief Executive Jim Woulfe said: “We readily acknowledge and accept that our strategy cannot meet the precise needs and circumstances of every individual member but the role of the Society is to act in the best interests of all members and not any particular group of members.” He went on to say that Dairygold is confident that their expansion plan is “fit for purpose” and empowers members to derive benefit and enhanced farm income from milk production following the end of the quota regime. He ended by saying: “I enourage all members who are keen to take advantage of the opportunity to attend the upcoming AGM and SGM to show their support for the Society’s plans.”

The Dairygold Milk Suppliers and Shareholders Group meanwhile have accepted the SGM date of April 11th and have noted that the closing date for signing the contract has been extended, from the end of March to the end of April. “We do however feel that all signing activities should also be suspended until after the SGM’s decision on April 11th,” a spokesman for the group said this week.