Leprino foods has announced the closure of its cheese production factory in Portlaoise with the loss of over 100

Staff at the company were notified of the decision on Tuesday morning. Manufacturing operations will stop at the plant in the second half of 2026.

The plant in Portlaoise was built in 2020 as a joint venture between US-based Leprino foods and Glanbia. In 2023, Glanbia sold full ownership of the factory to Leprino, along with production facilities in Northern Ireland and Wales.

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Leprino told workers that closing the plant was a “difficult but necessary decision” following a comprehensive evaluation of all possible options to improve the performance of the site. Production will be transferred to the manufacturing sites in Northern Ireland and Wales.

Tirlán is a supplier of cheese curd to the Leprino Portlaoise site as well as dairy products to Leprino in Northern Ireland. A spokesperson for Tirlán said: “Tirlán has been a long-standing supplier of curd to Leprino’s Portlaoise site, and while this site-specific closure will impact that agreement, our broader relationship with Leprino remains strong,” and that “milk will be re-allocated to alternative products and markets within our portfolio”.

See this week’s Irish Farmers Journal for more on this breaking news.