C&D Foods is today opening a new state-of-the-art pet food pouch manufacturing facility in Edgeworthstown.

The opening will result in 70 new jobs over the next three years, for which hiring has commenced.

The new facility, an extension to the plant that was built in 2007 following a major fire, will produce pet food pouches for many of Europe’s leading own label brands. It will be the biggest of its kind in Europe and represents an investment in excess of €15 million.

The project has been supported financially by the Department of Jobs through Enterprise Ireland.

The company is the second largest pet-food company in Europe with sales in excess of €300m per annum.

Commenting on the new facility, Phillip Reynolds, CEO of C&D Foods, said: “This announcement following so soon off the back of our €40 million investment in 2007 increases our capacity to supply our wider European customer base following our acquisition of Arovit A/S in 2012.”

“It is further evidence of the success and strength of our Edgeworthstown facility and its significance as part of our European manufacturing footprint,” he added.

C&D Foods employs over 1,000 people across its manufacturing sites in 6 countries including Ireland, UK, The Netherlands, Spain, Austria, & Denmark. The company also has sales offices in Germany and Italy. In Ireland C&D Foods has a manufacturing site in Edgeworthstown with an administrative head office located in Mullingar.

The company was founded in 1969 by the late Albert Reynolds and became a wholly owned subsidiary of the ABP Food Group in 2011.