North Cork not in talks with other processors - chair

North Cork Creameries is not in talks with any other milk processors, according to the chair of the co-op, Thomas O’Donoghue.

Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal on Wednesday, O’Donoghue says the co-op is planning to make the required investment in the wastewater treatment plant and to have it in place for next season.

“We’re trying to sort out the effluent [from the plant] after the saga during the year. As you know, we didn’t cause the fish kill but we can never again be in a position where we’re outside of our discharge limits,” he said.

When asked if a new wastewater treatment plant will cost over €7m, he said the cost will be “nothing like that”.

“We don’t know yet how much it will cost but we have two or three crowds looking into it and they’re to draw up plans and costings. We could spend €7m or €8m if we wanted to, but we won’t have to,” he insisted.

O’Donoghue said that they expect the plant to be back operating at full capacity for next season and denied that the co-op was in talks with other neighbouring milk processors.

“We’re not talking to anybody and I hope that we never have to, we want to keep competition alive,” he said.