Company of the Month

Company of the Month April 2025: Tirlán generates €118.5m in EBITDA

By Business & Finance

09 May 2025

Despite a challenging start to the year, the farmer-owned company, known for brands such as Avonmore and Premier Dairies, has generated €118.5m EBITDA. By Héloïse Chaudot.

Last year, Tirlán, an Irish dairy co-operative based in Kilkenny, managed to generate €118.5m EBITDA (Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, amortisation of goodwill and other intangibles and exceptional items).

Additionally, Tirlán has seen a significant rise in its revenue, a 5% year-on-year increase compared to 2023. Although the grazing season happened “6 weeks later than normal”, according to Trevor Donnellan, Teagasc research officer, the dairy company has managed to grow its revenue by €2.66m.

Throughout 2024, operating profit remained consistent at €67.2 million. Tirlán has also managed to lower its net debt by 11%, or €17m, to €138m, its lowest level in over a decade.

In 2024, Members received €7.1 million through a Share Interest ‘Dividend’ payment of 20.96 cents per share, distributed by the co-op. More than 4,500 dairy, grain, and drystock farmer members received €5.9 million in 2024 through the Trading Bonus Scheme, which rewards their loyalty and continued business with Tirlán.

Tirlán Chairperson John Murphy said: “We supported our Members financially with a Member Support Package of €30 million offered in the face of significant weather challenges in the first half of the year that curtailed milk supply and resulted in the late sowing of crops. Dairy markets strengthened as the year progressed, with milk supplies finishing strongly and competitive prices for both milk and grain. Over €1.5 billion was paid out to farm families for milk and grain, demonstrating the importance of the agriculture sector as an indigenous Irish employer and driver of the rural economy.”