First Milk to boost cheese capacity at Pembrokeshire facility

First Milk, a British farmer owned food business, plans to invest £7m in a bid to increase cpacity at its Haverfordwest Creamery in Pembrokeshire.

As part of the plans, the company will build a new effluent treatment plant and install new boilers that run on clean burn natural gas.

By replacing the current heavy fuel oil units with new gas boilers, the company aims to reduce CO2 emissions at the site by 3,500 tonnes per year.

For the effluent treatment plant, First Milk has partnered with Natural Resources Wales to reduce not only the environmental footprint of the creamery, but also a large group of farms that supply it.

These projects come on top of a £9m investment the company has made in recent years on the site.

First Milk is also considering further investments at the creamery in 2014 and 2015, with plans to increase capacity at the site to meet growing demand for its cheeses.

The company is recruiting for more milk in West Wales and holds a new contract that pays one of the highest milk prices in the country.

First Milk is the UK’s only major dairy company that is 100% owned by British farmers.

The company supplies a wide range of dairy products and dairy ingredients to customers in both national and international markets, including block cheeses, soft cheeses, raw milk, butter, skimmed milk powder, whey proteins and sports nutrition brands.

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Image: Construction site of First Milk’s Haverfordwest Creamery effluent treatment plant. Photo courtesy of First Milk Ltd.