Companies

Milk to mead: Brewers ‘will bid’ for Lakeland Dairies unwanted processing facilities

The chief executive of the Cavan-based dairy company said he expects microbreweries will vie for the co-op’s milk processing site in Monaghan town

Colin Kelly, group chief executive of Lakeland Dairies: ‘Our milk processing plant uses a lot of the same technology as a brewery.’ Picture: Joe Dunne

Lakeland Dairies, the farmer-owned co-op, is set to put two dairy processing facilities on the market in the coming weeks and expects microbrewery companies will emerge as potential bidders for the multimillion-euro assets.

The Cavan-based dairy company announced plans in November last year to shutter three of its manufacturing and packaging facilities by 2025 with the loss of almost 80 jobs as part of a restructuring programme.

The co-op will cease liquid milk processing in ...