ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

MINIMUM COLLECTION QUANTITIES

For Quality and economic reasons the minimum collection volume in the winter period will be 400 liters per collection with at least two collections per week.

MILK BIOSECURITY

It is the responsibility of each supplier to ensure that milk tendered for sale is stored in safe conditions until it is collected by the Society or one of their agents

PESTICIDE

Under legislation the Society is required to test a percentage of its suppliers annually for pesticide residues.

Bulk loads are tested for freshness on arrival at the plant, if a load is considered unfit for use, the individual suppliers on the load are tested and the farm causing the problem identified. This milk is then disposed of and the farm which caused the problem is liable for the dumping and relevant compensation costs. Suppliers are advised to check with their insurer that they have adequate cover for such an occurrence.

SEDIMENT

Milk produced under good hygienic conditions will be free from sediment; use of a filter sock is your final assurance that this is so. We will monitor milk collections at random for sediment, farms where sediment is detected will be advised and monitored closely thereafter. Persistent failure on this point will result in milk rejection.

TEMPERATURE

It is a requirement in E.U. Regulation that milk must be less than 4ºC at time of collection.

Monitoring of milk temperature will continue and where inadequate cooling is apparent a supplier will be notified, if having been notified corrective action is not taken in a reasonable period of time then collection will be suspended.

RECOMMENCEMENT OF MILK COLLECTION AFTER THE DRY PERIOD

An animal health certificate must be submitted prior to resuming milk supply annually.

Suppliers must give at minimum five days notice to the Co-op of their intention to resume milk after the dry period. Milk containing colostrum/biestings, and stale milk will be rejected. The first milk after the winter break should be tested at Arrabawn to ensure that the milk is free of inhibitors and residues and suitable for collection. Under no circumstances should any of the milk at first collection be more than four days old.

BONUS REFUND

At the end of the year any producer who has incurred a TBC penalty in only one month will be refunded the difference between what he was paid and what he would have been paid had he got the top price.