While Lakeland Dairies are not conducting media interviews at this time about the 78 Monaghan job losses announced yesterday, one expert hopes the co-op have made the cuts for the long-term sustainability of the business. Yesterday evening, Northern Sound brought you the shocking news that Lakeland Dairies plan to close three sites with 78 jobs impacted.
It has now been confirmed the liquid milk processing plant in Monaghan Town will be closed in the first quarter of 2025 and the premises sold, and their milk drying plant in Lough Egish will cease production by the middle of next year. A factory in Banbridge, Co. Down is also due to close. The Lakeland Dairies facilities in Bailieborough and Killeshandra are safe.
Speaking on the Joe Finnegan Show earlier, Pat O'Toole of the Irish Farmers Journal said the Lough Egish site is not going to close or be sold and the feed mill at that plant will continue to operate. Mr O'Toole said Lakeland Dairies will be off-setting the possible 78 job losses against the overall workforce of 1300. Meanwhile, in its only statement on the matter, Lakeland Dairies said the decision to close some operations was taken for the "long-term interests and sustainability of the 3200 farm families who produce 2 billion litres of quality milk" to the co-op annually.
The journalist from the Irish Farmers Journal says this may be the case: "They've been in expansion mode for the past decade, as has Irish dairying in general," Mr O'Toole said, "Now, with the pressure coming on production around environmental regulations and restrictions there's a period of consolidation ahead and this may be the beginning of that." While the journalist could only summise on the age and quality of the facilities, he said: "It may be the that they've decided to do a new-build on the liquid milk plant to future-proof it."
