Farmer suppliers to Glanbia are to increase pressure to force resignations from the board of Glanbia Co-operative, which owns just over 50 per cent of the food group.

Some Co Waterford suppliers are looking at the possibility of forcing an emergency meeting of co-op members to seek the resignation of the board.

It follows the passing a vote of no-confidence in the board at the co-op's annual general meeting on Tuesday.

While the chairman of the co-op board Tom Corcoran told Tuesday's meeting that the motion of no confidence had no legal standing, it was being pointed out in farming circles yesterday that there was plenty of precedent for boards resigning following such votes.

They did concede, however, that there was also precedent for boards remaining in place after motions of no confidence.

There has been growing frustration in dairy farming circles since Glanbia, the second largest dairy co-op on the island, cut the milk price it had been paying to its suppliers by four cent per litre for March-produced milk.

The 5,300 farmers who belong to all the farm organisations decided early this year that Glanbia would become the battle zone in their fight to keep milk prices from dropping any further.

A sizable number of producers attended a rally outside Glanbia's headquarters in Kilkenny in mid-April to protest at the cuts.

In a rare show of farm unity, the farm leaders said they had come to protest at the milk price cut because if Glanbia could drop its price the other co-ops would follow.

The farmers had argued they had already suffered significant price cuts over the previous four years.

Suppliers to all co-ops had their price cut by 14c per gallon between 2001 and 2004. After Glanbia producers were told of the four cent per gallon cut for March, Kerry plc and Arrabawn announced equivalent price cuts for later in the spring and summer.

Farmers had called on farmer representatives on the Glanbia board to fight the price cuts or resign.

They could not have it both ways.

The announcement that Glanbia would keep its milk price at current levels until October, when it will be reviewed, seems to have done little to dampen the enthusiasm of suppliers to rid itself of the board.