The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has granted a licence for the operation of Dairygold's Jarlsberg cheese production facility in Mogeely, Co Cork.

The €120m facility was developed in a partnership arrangement between Dairygold and TINE, Norway’s largest dairy co-op.

The new facility will process local milk into Jarlsberg cheese, a premium Norwegian variety which has a strong market presence in the United States, Australia and Europe.

Jobs

The new facility will create 67 jobs when fully operational. Over 200 people have worked on the two-year construction following the grant of planning permission for the facility back in 2018.

The plant now has the capacity to produce 20,000t of Jarlsberg cheese every year.

Objections

A member of the Green Party, environmental group Friends of the Irish Environment and An Taisce were among those who submitted objections to the EPA against issuing an operating licence to the plant.

Local residents who are members of the Protect East Ferry Water group also objected over the discharge of treated waste water from the plant.

In a joint statement, Dairygold and TINE have said they are committed to adhering to the most stringent environmental standards set down by the EPA with investment in the most advanced technology available for cheese making and the treatment of wastewater.

Dairygold has said "water quality, soil fertility and bio-diversity are key elements of our sustainability agenda".

A spokesperson for TINE added: “We prioritise producing products and services in a manner that is responsible in a global environmental context.”

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