Pictured L-R are Tirlán Chairman, John Murphy, shareholders Richard and Laura Forbes, who operate a family dairy farm in Tallow, Co Waterford and Tirlán CEO, Jim Bergin at the company’s AGM held in Lyrath Hotel, Kilkenny.

Tirlán’s first AGM, a key event in the diary, was held on the 24th of May at the Lyrath Hotel, Kilkenny

Attendees at the Annual General Meeting heard that over €174.5 million in value was distributed to over 11,000 Co-op Members in 2022.

On the day, Tirlán also published an Economic Impact Study conducted on behalf of the business by independent consultants EY.

The Economic Impact Study sets out the economic footprint of Tirlán’s agribusiness, consumer and ingredients operations at local and national levels. It shows that our Co-operative generated total economic activity of €5.5 billion in 2022 and supported over 19,200 direct and indirect jobs through its operations in Ireland.

Read more here: 
https://www.tirlanfarmlife.com/news/new-study-shows-tirlan-drives-5-point-5-billion-of-economic-activity

Among the topics raised by shareholders at the AGM were the Co-op’s financials, future ambitions and the challenges ahead, with a firm focus on sustainability, food security and farmer advocacy at a crucial time for the sector.

Tirlán Chairperson John Murphy said the Co-op distributes value to its members. “Since 2012, the value to members of shares spin-out and dividends stands at over €964 million euros – a significant delivery of value to our rural communities.”

“We are entering a moderate growth era in the dairy space where the focus now will be on innovation and adding value. We continue to launch new products like Avonmore Fibre Milk, Avonmore Oat Drinks and we also created many new ingredient solutions tailored for our customers.

“And, in tandem with that, we are also planning to grow new income streams in the coming years. We have stood up a strong governance structure to manage our Investment Fund and target new opportunities.”

John Murphy highlighted the important role that farmers play in society, delivering quality food and nutrition and driving economic activity.

Tirlán CEO Jim Bergin highlighted the local jobs and livelihoods that the Co-operative supports directly and indirectly in rural communities across the country. “While 2023 is proving challenging to date with a significant reduction in dairy market returns, combined with high farm input costs and supply chain inflation, we believe our Co-op is well-positioned to navigate these challenges and support our farmer members,” he said.