Dairygold Paperless
Dairygold Paperless
Dairygold opens new state of the art Nutritionals Campus in Mallow
The opening marks a significant milestone in the co-operative’s Post Quota Expansion plan
Dairygold’s €86 million Nutritionals Campus in Mallow was officially opened on Friday 22nd at an event attended by An Tánaiste and Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Frances Fitzgerald TD, European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Phil Hogan and Minister for Agriculture, Food & the Marine, Michael Creed, TD.
Following the investment, the state of the art milk processing facility is capable of producing the full range of nutritional dairy ingredient powders in volumes of up to 1,750 tonnes/week.
The Mallow Nutritionals Campus is a key pillar of Dairygold’s Expansion Plan to support the growth ambitions of its 2,900 suppliers across the Munster region. In 2012, Members forecast to increase their milk production by over 60% by 2020. Their forecasts have become a reality. Almost three years ahead of schedule, milk volumes from Dairygold’s 2,900 milk suppliers are expected to exceed 1.3 billion litres this year – a 55% increase on the baseline milk supply volume. Milk supplies in 2017 are forecasted to be up 105 million litres on 2016. This increase alone is worth an additional €39 million for the Society’s dairy farmers.
Speaking about the new facility Dairygold Chief Executive Jim Woulfe said: “The Mallow investment delivers on the twin objectives of our Dairy Expansion plan. This world-class Nutritionals Campus not only caters for our members’ expanding milk production but it also puts in place the processing technology to expand our range of higher value ingredients for the adult and infant nutritionals sector. This in turn creates more value add for our increasing milk volumes. The Nutritionals Campus will be at the forefront of our Nutritionals growth agenda with further investment planned in the near future.”
Post quota dairy expansion has seen the creation of 112 full time jobs across the Dairygold organisation. The €86 million regeneration of the Mallow site has also had a positive impact on employment in the region. The development saw over 800 people employed through direct and indirect jobs linked to the project. It has also had indirect economic benefits allowing Dairygold suppliers to expand their milk production with the creation of additional jobs in farming and an increase in activity for businesses that supply goods and services to Dairygold.
James Lynch, Chairman, Dairygold said: “The opening of the new Nutritionals Campus is a milestone in our Society’s history. It is also testament to the support and ambition of our milk supplying members, without which this development would not have been possible. A crucial factor in Dairygold’s ability to invest and develop has been our milk producer Members’ forecasting which has given the Society visibility of milk supply volumes into the future.”
An Tánaiste and Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Frances Fitzgerald TD:
“Dairygold’s commitment to its growth and expansion represents the vigour and ambition of Irish companies to perform and compete on a global stage. The opening of this Nutritionals Campus, following an €86 million investment programme supported by my Department through Enterprise Ireland, will support the delivery of hundreds of jobs for the region over the coming years. This investment creates a real foundation for the continued economic and social development of the Mallow and wider Dairygold catchment region. My Department, through the relevant agencies, will continue to support companies like Dairygold that are driving ambitious expansion growth in export sales and sustaining and creating jobs in rural Ireland – a key priority for this Government.”
EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Phil Hogan:
“Dairygold has a long tradition as one of Ireland’s most innovative and dynamic food companies. This investment is yet another step towards Dairygold cementing its position as a leading global supplier of cheese and dairy ingredients. Irish companies such as Dairygold set the standard for Irish food exports abroad and this investment in the regeneration of Mallow’s historic dairy processing site shows a commitment to continuing those high standards, while creating jobs and growth in rural communities.”
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed TD:
“Planning for this investment and Dairygold’s overall post quota strategy began years before April 2015 when quotas were removed. It was the foresight of the Board and the management team and their consultation with their ambitious milk suppliers that allowed the plan to be put in place so that this facility and the others in Mitchelstown and Mogeely can be here today to facilitate dairy farmers across Munster to realise their own farm expansion plan.
The agri-food sector is Ireland’s largest indigenous industry supporting 18,000 farming families and 14,500 workers across rural Ireland. Investments like this Nutritionals Campus in Mallow which is not only about building scale but also strengthening innovation and value add are critical to the continued strong performance of the sector in global markets and in-keeping with the ambitions of Foodwise 2025.”
Julie Sinnamon, CEO, Enterprise Ireland:
“Enterprise Ireland is a long-standing partner of Dairygold, supporting the company to innovate, scale internationally and achieve its global ambition. The new Nutritionals Campus is a hugely innovative step, strengthening Dairygold’s position as a competitive global leader in the next generation of dairy production. Enterprise Ireland is delighted to support this significant investment, and companies like Dairygold to improve their competitiveness, expand their global footprint and deliver job growth in Ireland.”
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