The president of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA) has said that a Supreme Court decision clearing the way for the €140 million Glanbia cheese plant is “a welcome boost”.
The Supreme Court has today (Wednesday, February 16) dismissed an appeal taken by An Taisce against the proposed plant in Belview, Co. Kilkenny.
An Taisce’s appeal pointed to concerns over how the planning and approval process for the plant was undertaken. However, the court decided to uphold An Bord Pleanála’s approval of the facility back in July, 2020.
Glanbia ruling
ICMSA president Pat McCormack described the ruling as “a welcome boost for both Glanbia and the wider Irish dairy sector”.
McCormack said that the plan had been “minutely examined by numerous agencies on every possible grounds” and no reason was found to halt the development.
He stated that a line should now be drawn under “a very long and tortuous process” and the plans should move forward.
The ICMSA president felt that the decision was “a vote of confidence in favour of the long-term sustainability of Irish dairying”.
McCormack said it was a “good day for the Irish dairy sector and a great day for the southeast of Ireland”.
Meanwhile, the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) president, Tim Cullinan called for the Supreme Court decision to be “respected by all”.
“Every appeal avenue has now been exhausted. It’s clear that our planning system needs significant reform to avoid it being used by some to delay necessary developments,” Cullinan stated.
The IFA president explained that part of the reason for the Glanbia project was in response to the need for the Irish dairy sector to diversify.
“Given how exposed the Irish dairy sector is to the challenges of Brexit, it would be very damaging to obstruct a valid initiative that is designed to safeguard the livelihoods of farm families and the rural economy in the southeast,” Cullinan concluded.