With An Taoiseach Enda Kenny due to visit the Dairygold plant in Mallow tomorrow to lay the foundation stone for major development of the co-op complex, it has been announced that 300 jobs in total will be secured through taxpayer investment in the co-op. The news was confirmed by Minister of State Seán Sherlock who said that Enterprise Ireland had approved a multi-million euro investment in the Mallow and Mitchelstown plants.
“I am delighted that Enterprise Ireland, with assistance from myself, held an extraordinary meeting in order to approve the funding to greenlight the project in Mallow and Mitchels-town,” said Minister Sherlock. “This funding will mean that the Irish Government, through Irish taxpayers represented by Enterprise Ireland, is contributing directly to the creation and sustainability of jobs in North Cork.”
“In the past three years I have been working with Enterprise Ireland to ensure that North Cork becomes a region for food-related enterprises. When I was first appointed mini-ster I held discussions with Enterprise Ireland to ensure that we could plan for this success. The vision of the Dairygold board has to be applauded. It signals an intention to restore industrial jobs to the region.”
“Smart investment like this will, in the medium term, assist in growing more jobs for this region. We are making those strides in the areas of food research through Teagasc Moore-park, and this expansion at Dairygold is vital to that future.”
The project will involve (in part) having a new 7.5 tonne per hour milk dryer in operation in Mallow by March 2016, and a second one in place by 2019 or earlier, depending on the speed of milk production scale-up in North Cork.
“When both dryers are in place, the total Mallow complex will be equipped to manufacture over 450 tonnes of milk powder per day in varied specifications up to infant milk formula standard, generating new jobs, direct and indirect within the region, from the activities within the site,” said Minister Sherlock. “Over 100 new jobs, direct and indirect within the region, will be generated from the activities on the site. It is expected that, during peak construction, 300 people will be employ-ed on-site.”
The next stages of works will involve the decommissioning of existing milk process facilities, further demolition and the re-organisation of site services in order to allow for the commencement of construction on the new facilities and the installation of equipment. The planned redevelop-ment of the Mallow dairy processing facility will necessitate the temporary cessation of milk processing and it is anticipated that milk will not be processed on the site until April 2015.
“I look forward to wel-coming An Taoiseach to Mallow and showing him first-hand the success we have in our sights here in North Cork,” stressed Minister Sherlock.