£150 Million Fresh Milk Dairy Officially Opened
Arla Foods UK’s £150 million fresh milk processing facility located at Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, has been officially opened by the Secretary of State for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, The Rt Hon Owen Paterson MP. The new dairy has a capacity to produce 1.5 million bottles a day.
The dairy, which is the most technologically advanced and efficient of its kind, has the potential to process up to 240,000 litres of milk per hour and one billion litres a year, supplied by around 900 British farmers, the majority of whom are owners of Arla.
The dairy is also setting new environmental standards on a global scale and has a plan to be the first zero carbon facility of its kind. It has already achieved zero waste to landfill and will utilise cutting edge renewable energy opportunities.
Aylesbury represents a significant investment in the UK and is the largest single investment that Arla has made. It will employ up to 700 people, delivering £20 million in wages, much of which will support the local and regional economy. It also supports over 90 apprentices from the area.
Arla is a global dairy company and a cooperative owned by 12,600 dairy farmers, circa 2,800 of whom are British. Arla is the largest dairy company in the UK and is home to leading dairy brands Anchor, Cravendale and Lurpak. It processes 3.5 billion litres of milk a year from British farms into a full range of dairy products.
Peter Lauritzen, chief executive of Arla Foods UK, says: “The size and scale of our new dairy reinforces Arla’s leadership within the UK dairy industry and we have drawn a line in the sand when it comes to next generation fresh milk processing. Aylesbury has taken advantage of previously untapped technologies and an investment of this scale sends a compelling message to our farmer owners, customers and employees that we have made a long-term commitment to the UK.”
