FDBusiness.com

UK dairy co-operative First Milk is to receive £2 million funding from the Scottish Government towards the cost of installing a brand new cheese-making facility at the company’s existing site in Campbeltown on the Mull of Kintyre. This secures the future of 38 dairy farms and 100 jobs on the Scottish peninsula.

The new factory will allow for increased production and provide processing efficiencies which cannot be achieved at the current plant. Over the past two years, First Milk had progressed plans to sell its existing Campbeltown site to Tesco and backed by grant funding from the Scottish Government, relocate to a new location in the town.

The existing Campbeltown creamery was built in the 1820s as a whisky distillery before being converted to a cheese manufacturing facility. However, Tesco has now indicated that it no longer wishes to purchase the site in order to build a larger store in the town, as a result the creamery will remain at its current location.

First Milk’s chief executive Kate Allum comments: “Throughout this process we have remained absolutely committed to our farmers on Kintyre, to the creamery and to the development of our world-famous Mull of Kintyre brand. With that in mind, we will invest in a brand new cheese-making facility at our existing site, aided by grant support from the Scottish Government.”

She continues: “We have met with farmers and employees in Campbeltown to inform them of these developments, and agreed to work as one team alongside the Scottish Government to develop a long term sustainable future for the dairy industry on Kintyre.”