The projects were announced as the Minister visited Dale Farm's facility at Dunmanbridge near Cookstown, where she officially opened a £5million state of the art cheddar cheese making facility.
A £36million investment by Dale Farm, supported by Invest Northern Ireland will allow Dale Farm to develop its local dairy processing activities and grow sales of existing and new products outside Northern Ireland.
The investment will create 43 new jobs and safeguard the employment of 215 existing jobs out of Dale Farm's 400-strong workforce. It will stimulate growth in external sales by £37.5million per annum over the next four years.
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This is the largest investment undertaken by a locally owned dairy processor and it is also the highest amount of support offered by Invest NI to the dairy sector.
In addition, Nampak Plastics, a leading plastic milk bottle manufacturer from the UK, is to invest £3.25million in a new bottle in-plant facility, at Dale Farm’s Pennybridge site, in Ballymena.
Also supported by Invest NI, with part funding from the European Regional Development Fund, the project will create at least 17 manufacturing positions and allow Nampak bottles to be used by Dale Farm immediately after manufacture, significantly enhancing Dale Farm’s operational efficiencies as it meets growing export demand. The partnership will also allow Nampak to develop sales in the Republic of Ireland market with its range of plastic bottle products.
Minister Foster said: "This £36million investment by Dale Farm is of strategic importance not only to the company but also to the dairy sector. It will give the company the capability to increase exports and the potential to process new and innovative products to meet the ever-changing demands of customers and consumers.
"In addition, the decision by Nampak Plastics to invest in a new milk bottle in-plant facility will bring benefits to Dale Farm, Nampak and the wider dairy sector."
(NS/BMcc)
