UK dairy group Robert Wiseman Dairies is considering the closure of its milk processing site in Okehampton in Devon, England and its distribution depot at Cupar in Fife, Scotland. A total of 137 jobs will be impacted.

However, in the event of closure, some of the 69 staff at Okehampton may be offered the opportunity to transfer to production roles at Wiseman’s state of the art dairy at Bridgwater. “We have created 500 jobs and invested £100m in Bridgwater to secure a competitive future for milk from dairy farms in the South West and this dairy is now supplying almost 10% of the nation’s requirement for fresh milk,” says Martyn Mulcahy, group operations director at Robert Wiseman Dairies. “At Okehampton, we have to address the reality, which is that the cost of processing milk and the investment required at the site is prohibitively high in comparison to our other dairies in the UK. In the current environment, we have little option other than to review the viability of the site going forward.”

Similarly, should Cupar be closed, some members of the 68 strong workforce may be offered the opportunity to transfer to distribution roles at the company’s Aberdeen and Whitburn depots.

Wiseman has commenced statutory 30 day formal consultation processes on the future of both Okehampton and Cupar, which will end on February 25th, 2011, at which point the company will work to complete its strategic review before arriving at a decision.

Gallagher’s Bakery, based in Ardara, County Donegal, is closing its frozen bread section with the loss of 124 jobs. Gallagher’s specialises in producing part baked frozen breads under the French Mill brand for the in-store bakery and hot food delicatessen market in Ireland and abroad. The company is also a leading regional baker of fresh bread, with the Gallagher’s brand well known in the north west of Ireland.

Established by the Gallagher family in 1968, the company has been part of international bakery group Aryzta since 2007.

Some frozen bread production from Ardara is being transferred to the Dublin bakery of the parent group. A further 65 jobs may be saved if Gallagher’s fresh bread operation is sold and some employees are redeployed to Dublin.

“There has been a serious market contraction in Ireland and the UK in recent years. Increasingly difficult market conditions, increased commodity costs, declining sales and reduced product prices have put immense pressure on the business,” says Declan Gallagher, managing director of Gallagher’s Bakery. The Donegal bakery’s competitiveness in the UK market has also been undermined by the weakness of sterling.

Milko, one of Sweden’s largest dairy companies, is to close down two of its four processing plants. Milko plans to shut its facilities in Karlstad and Sundsvall next year, resulting in the loss of 173 jobs. Based in Ostersund, Milko produces milk, butter, yoghurt, cheese, milk powders and juice.