A sod-turning turning has been held as development officially begins on the new €200 million Glanbia Co-op and Royal A-ware continental cheese facility in Belview, Co Kilkenny.

Kilkenny Cheese Ltd, a joint venture between family-owned Dutch dairy producer Royal A-Ware and Glanbia Co-op, will build the plant, which will span 18,000 square metres. It will produce over 50,000 tonnes of continental cheese per year, including Edam, Gouda and Emmental cheese varieties which will be brought to market by Royal A-ware through their established channels.

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When complete, the facility will be one of the most efficient and sustainable continental cheese production facilities in Europe. It is planned that the first continental cheese will be produced for global markets at the facility in 2024.

Welcoming the beginning of construction on the new plant, local Fianna Fáil TD John McGuinness said: "It is a wonderful moment for Kilkenny and the surrounding area as this really exciting project gets underway. It is great to see this really important project finally come to fruition. 

"This is also a great day for the 4,500 Glanbia farm family suppliers as well as for the wider Irish agriculture sector and Irish farmers as a whole."

Deputy McGuinness added: "I have been supportive of the project throughout, because of its profound importance to farming in Kilkenny and the south-east. It is heartening to know too that Glanbia Co-op is fully committed to a sustainable future for the dairy sector in partnership with Government, through the Food Vision 2030 Strategy. I look forward to continued engagement through these initiatives into the future."