FDBusiness.com

Glanbia Ingredients Ireland is to receive Irish Government support for its plans to gear up to handle the anticipated increase in milk production after EU quotas are abolished 2015, with an investment package of over €150 million in a new processing facility at Belview in County Kilkenny. The expansion programme is expected to create over 1600 direct and indirect jobs and contribute an estimated €400 million pa to the Irish economy – with particular benefit to farm families and rural communities. Through Enterprise Ireland, the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation will part-fund the development of a world-class dairy facility in Belview.

GII is Ireland’s leading dairy ingredients company – processing 1.6 billion litres of milk or 30% of Ireland’s milk pool into a range of dairy ingredients for export to more than 50 countries. The new plant will incorporate two 7.5 tonnes per hour dryers and have an output of 100,000 tonnes of dairy powders per annum.

All produce from the new facility will be destined for export markets. Construction is set to commence on 17 May and the new facility is expected to begin production in Spring 2015. 

The scale and scope of Belview is extremely ambitious. As the dairy industry purchases 90% of its inputs from the domestic economy, there will be a maximum impact on the income of farm families – boosting the rural economy and the local industries that will service on-farm expansion.

GIIL enjoys strong commercial relationships, including contract manufacturing with eight other Irish dairy processors. This new scalable facility will provide platforms for further collaboration in the industry. 

Jim Bergin, chief executive of GII, says: “The Belview facility is a significant, strategic development for our business. Most of all it reflects our confidence in, and commitment to our 4,300 milk suppliers. By providing this additional processing capacity we will be facilitating milk suppliers in their ambition to avail of the opportunity presented by quota abolition post 2015. We are very pleased that through Enterprise Ireland, the Government is acknowledging the economic contribution of the Belview project.”

He adds: “The Belview plant will be entirely focused on export markets and will supply a range of nutritional powders to an increasing number of regions including the Middle East, Africa, Central America and Asia.”