Battle lines drawn over Glanbia cheese plant as legal dispute returns to court

The €150m factory in Belview would be the largest ever foreign direct investment in the Irish dairy sector. But An Taisce, which says it will lead to increased carbon emissions and damage water quality, is trying to stop it

The Glanbia plant at Belview in Co Kilkenny: the planned continental cheese plant to be located at the site will help process the increased milk supply from farmers since the end of EU milk quotas in 2015. Picture: Dylan Vaughan

The relationship between Irish farmers and environmental groups right now could best be described as toxic, after a week in which the row over the national trust An Taisce’s objections to a decision by An Bord Pleanála to award planning permission for the construction of a new cheese plant in Co Kilkenny reached the floor of the Dáil.

At the heart of the dispute is a planned continental cheese plant to be located in Belview, ...