Northern Ireland dairy co-op Dale Farm has reported increased profit and turnover for the year to March 2026, with more than £10m returned to farmers through an additional penny-per-litre bonus.
Turnover rose from £722.4m to £749.3m, EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) increased from £45.6m to £50.6m, operating profit grew by 4% to £39.2m and net profit before tax rose by 3.4% to £33m, while net debt reduced by £32.8m to £29.6m, the report says.
During the 2025/26 year, Dale Farm says it paid “a leading and competitive milk price” with an average of 40.38p a litre (after transport costs), paying out a total of £409m in milk payments to its farmers.
This compared favourably with average milk prices across both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, it added.
The farmer-owned co-operative said it “continues to demonstrate the strength and resilience of its business model, underpinned by the scale of its milk pool, which now exceeds one billion litres collected and processed annually”.
Over the past two years, the milk pool has grown by 13%, reflecting both farmer confidence and investment across the business, it added.
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“There is consistency and stability in our strong performance and it is a testament to the quality and resilience of our farmers, the dedication and commitment of our people, and the continued support of our customers,” said group CEO Nick Whelan.
“Further strengthening our leadership in dairy innovation, we have secured approval for three patents in curd technology. Demand for our functional curd products continues to grow rapidly, with increasing sales to processed cheese partners across international markets. We also continue to invest in the future of the business.
“Following our £70m investment at Dunmanbridge, the next phase is now under way, including further upgrades to our new cheese processing facility. This will increase throughput and bring total cheddar capacity at Dunmanbridge to 100,000 tonnes.”
Whelan said the co-op is also investing in talent, training and development.
“Our focus remains on ensuring the profitability and sustainability of our farmers’ businesses,” he added. “We recognise the significant cost pressures experienced at farm level, particularly as a result of global instability impacting input costs. In response to changing market conditions, payment for April and May supplies included an additional market support payment to assist our farmers at 1ppl and 2ppl respectively.”
Dale Farm’s chair, Fred Allen, said: “Our results reflect the strength of our co-operative model and the importance of working together as a team. We are proud to represent over 1,300 farming families and strive to continue to deliver a sustainable business that supports them through both opportunities and challenges.
“While the year has seen continued volatility, including rising input costs linked to global events, our focus has remained on delivering a consistent and competitive return for our farmers.
“I would like to recognise Nick, the executive leadership team and all our employees across the business for their contribution to another strong year. By combining the expertise of our farmers with the skills of our workforce, and by continuing to invest in our facilities and people, we are well placed to maintain strong performance into the future.”
