Birr man appointed to board of co-operative

Birr man Eoin Doorley has been appointed to the management committee of the board of the new Arrabawn Tipperary co-operative society.

The co-op was established at its inaugural board meeting, consolidating the future of dairying for over 1,400 dairy farmers.

The meeting, held in Nenagh, followed separate meetings of the boards of outgoing merging co-ops, Arrabawn and Tipperary, on Wednesday when the merger terms were formalised. The society, which has a combined history of over 200 years in dairying, will be owned and controlled by over 4,800 members. More than 1,400 farmers across 16 counties, will supply 750 million litres of milk annually with projected annual turnover of in excess of €700 million.

As well as Mr Doorley, a number of other appointments took place on the day. Tipperary farmer Edward Carr was appointed inaugural Chair of the Co-op, with outgoing Arrabawn CEO Conor Ryan appointed as CEO.

CEO of the new entity Conor Ryan said: “This is a pivotal day for dairying across our entire catchment, from the west to the south-east of Ireland. A huge amount of work has gone into this over the past nine months and it’s right that we pay tribute to all those who contributed on both sides for their commitment to make this merger happen.

“The merger is a natural evolution for both co-ops and sets us up positively for the future, enabling us to meet the market fluctuations that will inevitably come our way. We now set about ensuring the best possible transition into this new entity and look forward to delivering the growth and efficiencies that will create and sustain a competitive future for the co-op and its members.”