LacPatrick Co-op has confirmed that it will invest £30m in new processing facilities at Artigarvan in north Tyrone. This is a major decision by the board of the producer co-operative, recently formed through the merger of the Town of Monaghan and Ballyrashane Co-ops.

It is the biggest single investment in milk processing in Northern Ireland and a huge expression of confidence in the future of dairying in the northwest of Ireland, at a time when the sector is in a very depressed state.

Throughput at the Artigarvan site is expected to more than double to a potential 2.5m litres per day, with the new drying plant and the existing milk dryer using natural gas as their main source of energy, following the extension of the gas pipeline to the Strabane area. It is expected to begin production in March 2017.