Irish food group Glanbia has unveiled plans to build a EUR150m (US$197.9m) ingredients plant facility in the south-east of the country.
The investment, by Glanbia's Ingredients Ireland unit, will be to create a plant focused on export markets. It will supply a range of nutritional powders to a number of regions including the Middle East, Africa, Central America and Asia.
Situated on the Kilkenny/Waterford border, the Belview facility will process 500 gallons of milk annually and is expected to be operational by spring 2015. Construction will begin on 17 May.
The development is being part-funded through Enterprise Ireland, the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation.
"The Belview facility is a significant, strategic development for our business," said Jim Bergin, CEO of Glanbia Ingredients Ireland. "By providing this additional processing capacity we will be facilitating milk suppliers in their ambition to avail of the opportunity presented by [EU] quota abolition post 2015."
