Dale Farm, the Northern Ireland dairy co-op owned by 1,300 farmers, is to invest £70 million in a new cheese processing plant.
The co-op plans to develop the new cheddar processing plant at its existing facility in Dunmanbridge outside Cookstown in Co. Tyrone.
Construction work on the investment project is underway and is expected to be completed by February 2025.
The investment boost at the Dunmanbridge plant will expand Dale Farm’s cheese production capacity at the site by 20,000 tonnes per year.
The expansion will include a new high speed automated cheese slicing line, further warehousing footprint and investment in new patented products and processes.
The co-op has also said that its latest development project at the Tyrone site will also deliver an opportunity for it to increase its whey protein concentrate capacity.
Dale Farm
According to the co-op its Dunmanbridge facility currently directly supports over 1,100 families in the local area, with 345 employed at the facility and a further 760 farms, out of Dale Farm’s 1280 milk producers, supplying milk to it.
Nick Whelan, group chief executive at Dale Farm today (Tuesday, May 7) said: “Dale Farm has built a strong reputation as a leader in cheddar production, and thanks to our reputation for quality, sustainability and consistency, we are seeing strong customer growth in the category.
“Key to our success is the dedication and ingenuity demonstrated on a daily basis by our team right across the business.
“We are already exporting to 40 countries, and with this investment we want to build on that momentum and future proof our operation at Dunmanbridge for decades to come.”
The co- op has also said that its latest investment project in Co. Tyrone will reduce the site’s carbon footprint by “an estimated 4,500 tonnes per year when compared against milk powder production”.
Whelan added: “We have been granted a patent for cheddar produced at the site and are onboarding new technologies and digital transformation.
“We’re also investing in sustainability and as a result of this expansion our carbon footprint will see a significant reduction, marking another important milestone on our journey towards net zero.”