Planning permission has been granted for a new dryer at Glanbia’s Belview site in Co Kilkenny. The new dryer will be as big as the existing two, effectively doubling the plant’s capacity.

It will allow Glanbia to process the milk from an extra 128,000 cows. The new dryer is expected to be running for spring 2019.

Glanbia Ingredients Ireland chief executive Jim Bergin told the Irish Farmers Journal.

“We are at an advanced stage of planning on the whole project and will hopefully be making an announcement in the coming weeks.”

The new dryer will be needed to cope with the increased milk coming from Glanbia farms in the coming years.

“Our most recent supplier survey results show that we can expect 30% extra milk between 2016 and 2020. That’s 7% to 8% per year of an increase.”

The development will extend to more than 12,000 sq m and include a new warehouse, a 46m five-storey production building and an evaporator building. It will cost between €200m and €250m.

Dairygold

On Friday, Dairygold will unveil its new €86m Nutritionals Campus in Mallow.

Tánaiste Frances Fitzgerald, European Commissioner Phil Hogan and Minister Michael Creed will be in Mallow to officially open the new campus.

The state-of-the-art facility is capable of processing 12.5m litres per week. The Mallow investment follows the 2014 expansion and upgrade of Dairygold’s Mitchelstown facility.

The co-op’s milk suppliers were forecast to increase their milk production by over 60% by 2020. However, Dairygold farmers are likely to exceed 1.3bn litres this year – a 55% increase on the baseline milk supply.