Glanbia to break ground on multi-million euro cheese factory in south Kilkenny
Glanbia Co-Op has announced this morning (Monday) that construction work is to start on the multi-million euro, state-of-the-art cheese manufacturing facility at Belview Port in south Kilkenny.
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar and Minister for Agriculture will perform the official sod-turning to start the long-awaited project, on Wednesday, June 22.
Kilkenny Cheese Ltd is a joint venture between Glanbia Co-op and family-owned international dairy business, Royal A-ware.
Located in the heart of rural Ireland, the new continental cheese facility will support the incomes of 4,500 farm families once operational.
Consistent with the Government post-Brexit market diversification strategy, and its sustainability policy, the new Enterprise Ireland-supported facility is also expected to create 80 full time jobs and support 400 construction jobs in the south-east.
Plans for the cheese factory were first announced in early 2019, and initial planning permission granted in mid-2020. However construction was delayed for some time because of a legal challenge to its planning permission. That legal process came to an end in February of this year when the Supreme Court dismissed an appeal against the development by An Taisce, the National Trust for Ireland, and upheld the High Court's decision to uphold An Bord Pleanála’s permission for the factory at Belview.