New milk processing site to create 500 jobs

Plans for the UK’s biggest liquid milk processing facility - with a one billion litre capacity - that will be built in the outskirts of London have been unveiled by Arla Foods UK.

According to the dairy giant, the unit will be the largest, most technologically advanced of its kind in the world and will become operational in 2012. The exact location for the factory has yet to be confirmed, as Arla said it had “a handful” of sites in mind.

Commenting on the new facility, Peter Lauritzen, chief executive of Arla Foods UK, said: “The project has now started and we are currently finalising the land search. Detailed plans will be presented to the Arla Foods Amba board in early 2010.”
A spokeswoman for the company said a feasibility study was underway for each site. Arla has estimated that the plant will create 500 production, distribution and administration jobs.
“Arla is totally committed to a long-term sustainable future in the UK and the construction of the new dairy demonstrates that commitment,” said Lauritzen. “We already have an industry-leading site at Stourton, in Leeds, but our new, cutting edge facility in London will be world-leading and take dairy processing into the next generation.”
Arla’s planned facility would be almost double the size of Robert Wiseman’s groundbreaking dairy plant, opened in Somerset in September last year. It would also add 50% to Arla’s annual 2.2bn litre liquid milk production levels. “This is about our growth ambition,” said an Arla spokeswoman.