Dale Farm investment will secure local jobs

A 36million investment by Dale Farm, supported by Invest Northern Ireland will allow Dale Farm to develop its local dairy processing activities.

The funds will directly benefit Dale Farm’s Ballymena processing plants at Pennybridge and Cullybackey as well as its Cookstown plant at Dunmanbridge.

This is the largest investment undertaken by a locally owned dairy processor and it is also the highest amount of support offered by Invest NI to the dairy sector. It will create 43 new jobs and safeguard the employment of 215 existing jobs out of Dale Farm’s 400-strong workforce, thereby creating and safeguarding average annual salaries of 7.9million.

Nampak Plastics, a leading plastic milk bottle manufacturer from the UK, is to invest 3.25million in a new bottle in-plant facility, at Dale Farm’s Pennybridge site, in Ballymena.

Also supported by Invest NI, with part funding from the European Regional Development Fund, the project will create at least 17 manufacturing positions and allow Nampak bottles to be used by Dale Farm immediately after manufacture, significantly enhancing Dale Farm’s operational efficiencies as it meets growing export demand.

DUP Agriculture Spokesman Ian Paisley Jnr who is the Assembly’s Agriculture Chairman said that this investment was a particularly strong vote of confidence in the local dairy industry and would help position the industry here for the future.

Mr Paisley said: “In North Antrim I know particularly how important Dale Farm is to the local economy given the significant presence they have in both Ballymena and Cullybackey. As well as the confidence this will give to employees and with the prospect of greater employment I also know that local farmers will be delighted at the kind of investment in value-added products which deliver higher value returns right through the production chain.

“This investment will see major investment in cheese, butter and liquid milk processing in areas right across Northern Ireland.

“This level of investment is not just a very significant boost for the local agri-food industry, but it is a significant announcement in terms of the overall Northern Ireland economy. It firmly cements the agri-food sector as the cornerstone of our local economy and by improving the export opportunities it helps to bring wealth into the local economy and protect jobs. “The fact that this announcement is the single largest investment by any company in the Northern Ireland dairy sector underlines just how significant this has been for local farmers and the industry as a whole and I hope that this kind of forward vision can pay dividends in the future.”

TUV Leader Jim Allister has welcomed the investment as ‘a shot in the arm’ for a vital part of our agri-food industry, he said: “I highly commend Dale Farm for their investment and particularly welcome the fact that over 7 million of the capital spend will be to improve the North Antrim facilities. The 6.8m investment at Pennybridge, so as to make this plant the leading milk processing plant and centre of excellence for fresh dairy products, is not just really good local news but something of provincial importance.

“The addition of an on site bottle manufacturing plant by Nampak, with a ‘through the wall’ connection to Dale Farm, is another exciting aspect of this development at Pennybridge. Nampak is a respected leader in its field and so to now get it on site with Dale Farm underpins the stability and future of the Pennybridge operation. So I’m delighted to see Nampak, one of Europe’s largest manufacturers of containers in the food and drink industry, come to Ballymena and trust they will have a long and prosperous relationship with the town.”

David Dobbin, Dale Farm’s Group Chief Executive said: “Overall, the investment will provide the best in class capability and economies of scale that we need to compete more effectively against major international competitors. It will enable us to consolidate our position in existing markets and to develop new opportunities.”

Jamie Tinsley, Sales Director, Nampak Plastics, added: “Locating the bottle manufacturing and filling in one location removes the need to transport the bottles between two sites, dramatically cutting transportation costs and the associated carbon emissions.”