The country’s second largest processor with 20% of the total milk pool processes 950 million litres of milk through its three plants at Mitchelstown, Mogeely and Mallow.

In line with Food Harvest 2020 and the 50% targeted increase in dairy output, Dairygold’s milk suppliers are forecast to increase milk supply by 500 million litres. This capacity expansion is necessary to allow Dairygold to cope with peak production from its 3,000 suppliers. The first stage of expansion includes commissioning a new six-tonne/hour multi-purpose milk drying facility at the Castlefarm site in Mitchelstown.

Dairygold has plans to invest €120m to add another 18.5 million litres of weekly capacity up to 2019. The co-op is already investing from its existing cash reserves to increase its weekly processing capacity by 4.3 million litres (15%) by 2014.

This comprises expansion at its speciality cheese plant at Mogeely and its cheddar plant at Mitchelstown, one of the largest in Britain and Ireland.