Minister Creed re-opens Wexford Cheese plant

GII All Co-op Dairy

Enterprise Ireland also confirms support for €160m investment in Glanbia Ireland’s Belview facility.

Minister for Agriculture, Food & the Marine Michael Creed TD, along with Glanbia Group Chairman Henry Corbally, today officially re-opened Glanbia Ireland’s Wexford cheese plant following a major capital investment programme. The €35m investment in the facility, just outside Wexford town, has been supported by the Government of Ireland through Enterprise Ireland since 2014, and has doubled peak capacity at the plant.

Award winning cheese from Glanbia Ireland’s Wexford facility is supplied to a number of global food companies and is also widely available in the ‘Wexford’ branded cheese range which can be bought here in Ireland and in a number of overseas markets. As well as increasing Glanbia Ireland’s cheese processing capacity, the Wexford investment will deliver an additional whey stream for the sports nutrition sector, which is one of Glanbia’s key market sectors.

Earlier today the Government also confirmed Enterprise Ireland support towards Glanbia Ireland’s plans to invest over €160 million in its site at Belview, Co Kilkenny. This investment will result in new activities at the Belview facility, which was first opened in 2015, and lead to the installation of a new third dryer and other processing equipment which will produce infant formula products destined for global export markets.

It is expected that the new facility in Belview will be operational by 2020 and this investment will directly result in the creation of 83 new full-time jobs as well as supporting 400 jobs during the two-year construction phase of the project. There will also be a significant knock-on effect from this investment in the wider economy both regionally and nationwide, and the indirect jobs created from these types of agri-investments are very substantial.

Speaking at the event Minister Creed said: “I’m delighted to be here to mark the official reopening of Glanbia Ireland’s Wexford Cheese Plant. This investment supported by Enterprise Ireland is another example of the potential of the Irish agri-food sector to create and sustain jobs across the country. Combined with today’s announcement on further substantial investment in Glanbia’s Belview facility it is clear that the future of dairy in Ireland is a very bright one indeed. I’d like to congratulate Glanbia for their continued commitment to supporting the growth ambitions of their suppliers and ensuring that Ireland remains at the forefront of dairy innovation for the global marketplace.”

Commenting on the Belview investment, which she presented to Cabinet for approval this week, Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys TD said; “The Government’s investment, through Enterprise Ireland, to support Glanbia’s development of new activities in Belview reflects our belief in the underlying economic contribution of our indigenous dairy industry and in the company’s development plans. Glanbia has long been one of Ireland’s great home-grown success stories, and as a company, has been characterised by its successful international growth strategy in key markets and a commitment to innovation and excellence. This investment demonstrates a real long-term commitment to farming families and the rural economy. I commend Enterprise Ireland and Glanbia on their collaboration and wish them every success with the project.”

Henry Corbally, Glanbia Group Chairman added: “These major investments in Wexford and Belview are a great vote of confidence in Irish dairy and in Irish dairy farmers. Despite volatility in global markets there is growing demand and positive long-term prospects for our products. These investments are designed to ensure that Glanbia’s suppliers have the opportunity to access those markets. I would like to thank Enterprise Ireland for their continuing support for the Agri-food sector which is such an important part of the Irish economy.”

Commenting on the announcement Orla Battersby, Enterprise Ireland’s Divisional Manager for Food, said: “This is a hugely significant and very welcome development for Glanbia Ireland and the south east region. Enterprise Ireland has worked closely with Glanbia Ireland in developing its investment plans for the future. The investments will have very positive impacts for the region, not only in terms of the new direct jobs they will create, but also in the indirect benefits to the local and wider economy”.

Jim Bergin, CEO, Glanbia Ireland concluded: “These latest investments are part of Glanbia’s longstanding commitment to meet the growth ambitions of our milk suppliers. In recent years, Glanbia Ireland has invested €235m at the company’s milk processing plants at Virginia (Co Cavan), Ballyragget and Belview (Co Kilkenny). Between now and 2020 we expect to invest between €250 and €300 million to facilitate an expected 30% growth in milk from Glanbia Ireland’s 4,800 farmer suppliers. This level of investment is also required to diversify the product mix we can offer customers to help navigate the unprecedented level of volatility in the global marketplace.”

For more information on the award winning Wexford product range and brand, please visit www.wexfordcreamery.com

About Glanbia Ireland

Glanbia Ireland is a world class, ambitious, integrated agri-food and nutrition business, with a diverse portfolio of quality ingredients, leading consumer and agri brands with the proven talent to succeed in the global market.

Glanbia Ireland is a joint venture 60% owned by Glanbia Co-op and 40% owned by Glanbia plc. Established in July 2017, it combines Glanbia Ingredients Ireland, Glanbia Consumer Products and Glanbia Agribusiness.

Glanbia Ireland owns leading consumer and agri brands such as Avonmore, Kilmeaden Cheese, Premier Milk, Wexford, mymilkman.ie and GAIN Animal Nutrition. It processes a 2.6 billion litre milk pool from 21 counties and exports high quality dairy and agri ingredients as well as branded products to over 60 countries.

With annual revenue of €1.8 billion, Glanbia Ireland has 11 processing plants, 53 agri branches and over 1,800 employees.

First Published 8 March 2018

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