Dale Farm's Dunman cheese factory at Cookstown to receive record £70m upgrade

The expansion will mark one of the largest ever single investments by a Northern Ireland agri-food company.

The plans will see Dale Farm integrate state-of-the-art technologies and equipment at the site, boosting production and making significant sustainability gains as the cooperative builds on its expertise as a leading European cheddar manufacturer.

The investment comes on the back of successive years of impressive growth for the cooperative, and in response to continued customer growth across the UK, Europe and beyond, with the site already exporting cheddar to 40 countries worldwide.

The Dunman cheese facility currently employs 345 people and is supplied by 760 of its 1,280 milk producers.

The work has already got underway and is scheduled to be completed for February 2025.

Nick Whelan, Group chief executive at Dale Farm said the investment will support growth and capability for the cooperative, and position Dale Farm as "a leading cheddar player in Europe.”

“Dale Farm has built a strong reputation as a leader in cheddar production, and thanks to our reputation for quality, sustainability and consistency, we are seeing strong customer growth in the category,” he said.

“Key to our success is the dedication and ingenuity demonstrated on a daily basis by our team right across the business. We are already exporting to 40 countries, and with this investment we want to build on that momentum and future proof our operation at Dunmanbridge for decades to come.”

The investment will increase the site’s cheese capacity by 20,000 tonnes per year, while also expanding its WPC (whey protein concentrate) capacity. It will incorporate the integration of advanced energy efficient technologies which together with new production processes will reduce the site’s carbon footprint by an estimated 4,500 tonnes per year when compared against milk powder production.

Mr Whelan added: “This investment will be transformative not just for Dale Farm, but for the Northern Ireland rural economy. We have big plans for the future and are looking forward to the next step of this journey.”