Glanbia’s proposed €130 million mozzarella cheese plant has moved a step closer following the withdrawal of an objection to planning approval for the plant’s midlands site.
The project, a joint venture between Glanbia plc and Leprino Foods, has been earmarked for a site in Togher National Industrial Estate, Portlaoise, Co. Laois.
An objection to the proposed plant which had been submitted to An Bord Pleanala has been withdrawn, leaving the path clear for the project to proceed, a spokesperson for Laois County Council confirmed to AgriLand.
Revealing the multimillion euro plan last July, Glanbia issued a statement noting: “A total of €130 million will be invested in the world-class facility, which is supported by the Government of Ireland through Enterprise Ireland.”
At the time of the announcement, it was expected that the new facility would begin production in 2020.
Glanbia and Leprino Foods already have an existing joint venture partnership in Glanbia Cheese Limited which was established in 2000 and has large-scale manufacturing operations in Llangefni in Wales and in Magheralin, Northern Ireland.
According to Glanbia, the new investment will “build upon this successful partnership while the new scalable facility will provide bespoke cheese solutions for customers across Europe”.