Jobs shake-up as Dale Farm pledges Dromona investment

Dairy product manufacturer Dale Farm has announced investment plans for Dromona as part of a further shake-up of its Northern Ireland operations.

The company plans to invest £4 million over a three-year period to develop its Dromona plant in Cullybackey, County Antrim.

Creating 15 jobs, the plans aims to develop the Dromana plant as a centre of excellence for the manufacture and packing of butter and dairy spread products - part of the company's ambition to be at the forefront of added-value dairy processing in consumer products and food ingredients.

However, the development will see the closure of the company's smaller yellow fat processing plant at Tassagh, County Armagh, which employs 23 people.

Dale Farm said that re-employment opportunities will be offered to the Tassagh workforce at both the Dromona and other group locations.

It follows recent investments in a new Group Technical Centre at Pennybridge Ballymena, a major expansion at Dale Farm's Scottish subsidiary Rowan Glen and new milk powder processing and cheese packing facilities at Dunmanbridge Cookstown.

Overall Dale Farm plans to invest £20 million in its manufacturing plants in Northern Ireland and Scotland of which over £12 million has already been committed.

The £4 million investment at Dromona will involve creating a world-class manufacturing centre with purpose built spreads processing and butter blending facilities and filling hall for butter and dairy spreads products, including automated high speed filling and packaging equipment. Existing production activities at the company's Dromona and Tassagh (Armagh) sites will transfer into the new facility once phase 1 of the project is completed in the late summer.

Group Chief Executive David Dobbin said that the investment will allow the company to further expand sales of its award winning Dromona butter and spreads products into the UK and Irish markets as well as European export markets for which Dale Farm recently won a Food from Britain exporting award.

Construction at Dromona will commence in February and it is anticipated that all production will transfer from Tassagh to the new Dromona plant when the first phase of the investment is completed in late summer 2004.

(SP)