A Message from Noel O’Connor, Mayor of Mallow
“The most exciting proposed development for Mallow, and the greater Mallow area, in the more recent past, is the proposal, by Dairygold, to spend over 120 milllion euros on upgrading, modernising and expanding the capacity of their industrial plant for Milk Powder Production in Annabella, Mallow. This project will contribute greatly to the future well being of Mallow and it’s surrounding area and therefore I am delighted, to take on the responsibilities of Mayor, and to support these proposals.
In a time of great recession, Jim Woulfe CEO of Dairygold and his management team, are to be congratulated on being so forward thinking, in developing a project to increase their Co-Operative’s capacity to process milk. The demand for such increased processing capacity is arrising from the withdrawal of the milk quota system in the next few years. This quota system limited the amount of milk production by individual farmers. I congratulate Dairygold, on choosing Mallow as their base for this increased milk processing capacity. In doing this, ie. in choosing Mallow for increased capacity for milk processing, Dairygold is building on a great tradition of Milk Powder Production in the area. The infrastructure is already there in the Annabella site in Mallow. We, in Mallow, have always seen ourselves as being in the heart of, and as being in the centre of, Munster, both in physical terms, and in terms of leading the way, for Munster, in supporting Industial and Commercial Businesss. It is this, more than anything else, that makes the positioning of the new Dairygold plant in Mallow a great choice. Because, physically where Mallow is situated, it is easily accessable by the farmers supplying milk to the Co-Op from all over the Munster region.
This week, as the new Mayor of Mallow, I made an appointment to meet with Karl McCoy, a member of the project team for the Dairygold developments in Mallow. Mr. Mc Coy took me through the planned proposals. Every aspect of the development has been thought thoroughly through. I was very impressed with the modernity of the plant itself this. It would be to the highest of IT and Computerised specifications. The lay-out of the Plant on the site is indeed very impressive. Mr. Mc Coy told me how Dairygold have been in constant consultation with the NRA with regards to traffic management in and about the Mallow Dairygold site to ensure ease of movement for the increased numbers of lorries entering and exiting the site. It would too detailed for me to go into this here but I am totally happy that their innovative approach to the traffic management in the area will, not alone help traffic from the Co-Operative but will also help with the general traffic movements in the Annabella area in Mallow. Karl tells me that he would be delighted to meet with, and explain the plans for the Plant, to anyone who might be interested. Mr. McCoy and his project management team have already been engaging with interested parties in the project over the last few months.
Planning permission wil be lodged with Mallow Town Council on the 27th of this month, July. I do sincerely hope that the project goes through the Planning process, without delay. If a foreign company came to Mallow and announced it was going to create 50 new sustainable jobs, and that it was going to spend 120 million euros in building the industrial plant to secure these jobs, then we would be rolling out the Red Carpet for that company. I wish, now, as Mayor of Mallow, to roll out the Red Carpet for Dairygold and to assure the Management and Shareholders of the Co-Operative that I will do everything I can, on behalf of the people of Mallow, to support Dairygold’s proposals for Mallow.”