'We recognise the significant cost pressures': Northern Ireland co-operative sees profits rise to £33m as dairy giant pays farmers £409m
Farmer-owned cooperative Dale Farmer reports £749m turnover after returning more than £10m to members through bonus payments
Dale Farm, one of the UK and Ireland’s largest and fastest growing farmer-owned dairy cooperatives, has reported another year of strong growth after increasing profits, reducing debt and paying more than £409 million to its farmer members.
The farmer-owned dairy cooperative, which is owned by 1,300 farming families across Northern Ireland, England and Scotland, saw turnover rise from £722.4 million to £749.3 million in the year to March 2026.
Pre-tax profit increased by 3.4% to £33 million, while operating profit grew 4% to £39.2 million. EBITDA rose from £45.6 million to £50.6 million, and net debt fell significantly by £32.8 million to £29.6 million.
The results come after Dale Farm returned more than £10 million to its members through an additional 1p-per-litre bonus payment on every litre of milk supplied during the year.
During 2025/26, the cooperative paid an average milk price of 40.38 pence per litre (after transport costs), distributing a total of £409 million to farmers. It said this remained competitive compared with average milk prices across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
The business also passed a significant milestone, with its milk pool now exceeding one billion litres collected and processed annually. That represents growth of 13% over the past two years, reflecting increased farmer confidence and continued investment.
Commenting on the results, Group chief executive, Nick Whelan, said the performance reflects the collective effort of farmers, employees and customers: “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.
“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 £70 million investment at Dunmanbridge, the next phase is now underway, including further upgrades to our new cheese processing facility. This will increase throughput and bring total cheddar capacity at Dunmanbridge to 100,000 tonnes.
“Alongside this, we are investing in talent, as well as training and development to ensure our people have the skills and capabilities needed to support continued growth and innovation across the business.
“Our focus remains on ensuring the profitability and sustainability of our farmers’ businesses. 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, chairman, Fred Allen, added: “Our results reflect the strength of our cooperative 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.”