The new dryer was announced at a meeting of milk supppliers in Armagh city on Tuesday night and will produce high-specification powder for value-added markets in Asia and Africa, more than doubling output at the site.

Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal, LacPatrick Chief Executive Gabriel Darcy said: “This investment underpins the livelihood of 1,000 dairy farmers in the North West of Ireland. We want to use their quality milk to produce zero-spore, low-spore and other milk powder specific variations to meet new and emerging markets for powders.”

The recently announced extension of the natural gas pipeline in the North West is key to the specialised plant, which will incorporate latest technology on energy saving and low carbon emissions. LacPatrick Co-op already has ‘green’ credentials at its ‘state-of-the-art’ butter manufacturing plant at Ballyrashane and this is featured in its marketing of products. No grant aid has been allocated to the Artigarvan project. LacPatrick will fund the investment from a mix of cash reserves and bank borrowing.

The sod has already been turned on this development and product is expected from the new investment by March 2017. We understand 15 additional full time jobs will be created as a result of the investment and over 150 people will be involved in the building process. For more see the print edition of Irish Farmers Journal and farmersjournal.ie this Thursday.