Arla Foods begins development of new fresh milk dairy

Arla Foods brought in the earth movers yesterday (6 February) to start building its £150 million fresh milk dairy in Aylesbury.

Once completed, the dairy will process and pack up to one billion litres of milk per year. The project is being 100 per cent funded by Arla and will provide a £20 million annual wages bill, which will have a positive impact on the local economy. It will also create 700 new jobs and up to 1,000 construction jobs over the next 18 months.

Peter Lauritzen, CEO of Arla Foods UK, said: “We are delighted to be underway with the development of this new dairy. We have ambitions for it to be the world’s first zero carbon fresh milk dairy, which will help Arla achieve its growth ambitions in the UK.

“The new facility will create a platform for the company to grow its fresh milk business, allowing us to deliver our UK growth strategy.”

Work started on site on 6 February 2012, and is expected to take 75 weeks to complete.

Arla Foods UK plc is home to some of the UK’s leading dairy brands including Cravendale, Lurpak and Anchor. Processing approximately two billion litres of milk a year Arla continues to be one of the UK’s leading dairy companies and a supplier of fresh liquid milk and cream to the top seven retailers.

Over 2,500 daily deliveries are made directly to stores nationwide and Arla brands can be found across the dairy category. As well as the leader of the butter, spreads and margarine sector, and a major supplier of other added value products including flavoured milk and cheese, Arla continues to build working relationships with Arla Foods Milk Partnership, a unique group of dairy farmers, which supplies around 90 per cent of Arla's total milk requirements.

Behind this leading business is a team of circa 2,800 people across the UK located at our dairies, distribution centres and head office.