Tirlán milk supplier Open Days: A successful showcase of industry excellence

Nearly 2,000 dairy suppliers gathered at our Tirlán Ballyragget facility on September 24-25, for the Tirlán Milk Supplier Open Days.

The event offered suppliers an opportunity to explore the journey of their milk from farm to market. Through guided tours, panel discussions, and interactive exhibits, Tirlán highlighted its commitment to transparency, innovation, and sustainability within the dairy industry.

The Ballyragget facility is one of Tirlán's network of high-tech processing sites, with over 1.2 billion litres of milk delivered by our farmers and processed by over 390 employees.

The facility has evolved over decades to process and produce over 230 thousand tonnes of finished product, 250 million litres of cream and 1.3 billion litres of whey.

Even during the Open Days, the facility process over 7 million litres of milk.

Attendees witnessed firsthand how the milk they supply is transformed into award-winning consumer brands and high-quality dairy ingredients sold globally. Suppliers were also introduced to Tirlán’s Innovation Centre, where new products and processes are continuously developed, driving the Co-op’s competitive edge in international markets.

From high-end bakeries in China to whey now in over 80 countries, our mini 'Expo' experience provided a flavour of the constant innovation at work in our dairy and grains portfolio.

John Murphy, Chairperson of Tirlán, expressed his pride in welcoming suppliers to the event, noting the strong turnout and positive atmosphere. He acknowledged the tough challenges farmers face on an ongoing basis.

“It was wonderful to have the opportunity to bring so many of our suppliers into our Tirlán facility to follow the milk from their farm gate and out to consumers around the world. I was delighted to see almost 2,000 of our dairy suppliers enjoy meeting with the teams that process and market their high quality raw ingredients to over 95 countries across the globe.”

Tirlán CEO Seán Molloy commented: “We organised this event to provide our suppliers with an insight to the breadth of our Co-op, the new products coming on stream and our teams working on their behalf right across the globe every day.

Tirlán CEO Seán Molloy commented: “We organised this event to provide our suppliers with an insight to the breadth of our Co-op, the new products coming on stream and our teams working on their behalf right across the globe every day.

“There remains a strong demand for dairy right across the world. We continue to innovate through our world-class R&D centre and our talented teams to bring our quality Irish milk and grains to market globally. It was excellent to give our suppliers an insight into our Avonmore Professional range reaching new markets in China, demand for our cheese, butter and our proteins in the marketplace.

“It all starts with our family farms and we hope that suppliers left the Open Days at Ballyragget with a sense of pride in their own businesses and the co-operative that they 100% own.”

Tirlán's Chief Commercial Officer for Ingredients, Aoife Murphy said: "This open day provided the Commercial team with an excellent opportunity to bring our farmers and owners closer to our markets and B2B customers. Many of those attending told how they enjoyed meeting our teams from China, South East Asia, the USA and other locations, and learning more about how their milk ends up on shelves of our B2B customers all over the world."

The open days were not just an opportunity for suppliers to tour the facility, but also a forum for discussions on key issues such as water quality, the nitrates derogation, and sustainability initiatives. The event reflected Tirlán’s commitment to keeping its farmers informed and engaged, ensuring that they are part of the co-op’s long-term strategy.

The Agri team were also on hand to offer advice and showcase some of their initiatives including the GAIN Momentum Milk Solids Tracker, Twenty20 Calf-to-Beef Programme and FarmGen solar PV solutions.

Ballyragget is the largest integrated dairy processing site in Europe.

First Published 1 October 2024