Dromona Cheese Investment Programme Puts it Whey Ahead
Dale Farm, NIs leading dairy business, which is 100% owned by local dairy farmers, marked another key stage in its ambitious growth plans today with the official opening by Agriculture Minister David Cairns of a £3 million investment at its Dunmanbridge operation in Cookstown including a £1.5million investment in a centre of excellence for Dromona cheese processing and packing.
The newly opened cheese facility incorporates automated cutting, grating and packing lines which will enable Dale Farm to significantly increase cheese output for the added value retail food service and food ingredients sectors in UK and Ireland. The investment received £576000 funding support from DARD and Invest NI under the EU Agricultural Processing and Marketing Grant scheme.
The company, which is owned by NI farmer co-operative United Dairy Farmers also announced details of a further ¬£1.4million to be invested at the site to further expand and upgrade cheese and whey processing operations. Supported by £557,000 in grant funding the planned investment project will see Dale Farm increase its cheese output capacity by 60% per year to over 20,000 tonnes using up to 200million litres of locally produced milk each year. The expansion, which is expected to be completed by April 2007 will create an additional 14 new jobs across the Dale Farm Group as well as safeguard the jobs of existing workers.
We are delighted to confirm this significant double investment for local cheese production and thank DARD and Invest NI for supporting it said David Dobbin Chief Executive of the United Dairy Farmers Group.
Dunmanbridge is one of the largest milk processing sites in the British Isles and in line with Dale Farms overall growth strategy it will become a hub in value added dairy processing specialising in whey and milk powder based food ingredients as well as Dromona Cheese production. Earlier this year we completed a £1.5 million upgrade in automated filling and bagging facilities at the site to enable it to handle a wider range of ingredients products and pack sizes for the food ingredients sector. These latest investment projects will enable us to pursue added value markets for cheddar cheese more aggressively as well. Supported by enhanced processing packaging and output capacity at Dunmanbridge and our existing UK wide distribution strength Dromona Cheese NIs top selling locally produced cheese brand now has the potential to achieve significant share of the retail food ingredients and food service sectors in the wider national and international markets.
Dale Farms growth strategy has been supported by significant investment some £30 million in the last four years &mdash across its processing and distribution operations in NI Scotland and England where an extensive portfolio of market&mdashled dairy products cheese fresh milk speciality milk powders butters spreads yogurts pro-biotic drinks ice cream and desserts are handled.
Our goal is to put in place best—in—class facilities across our entire operations so we can offer customers and consumers the very best in dairy produce continued David Dobbin. In doing so we are reducing our dependence on commodity subsidy dependent powder products and export markets. I am delighted to confirm that with this investment at Dunmanbridge we can use more than ever of our farmer members locally produced milk — and process it into products that will ultimately provide better and more sustainable returns than if we stay as we are.
