Muller is to build biggest butter plant at Market Drayton site
Dairy giant Muller Wiseman has unveiled plans to create the country's largest butter plant in Shropshire, it was revealed this afternoon.
The company will invest £17 million in the new plant in Market Drayton, which is expected to be commissioned in the autumn.
The plant will have the capacity to handle all of the 90,000 tonnes of the cream produced by the Muller Wiseman group in the UK and will produce up to 45,000 tonnes of butter.
It is not yet known where exactly the development will be built in Market Drayton or how many jobs it will create.
The company has traditionally focused on just yoghurt and already has a plant in the town.
The news was announced by Muller UK & Ireland CEO Ronald Kers at the Semex dairy industry conference in Glasgow. He also said there would be a farmer recruitment drive to secure additional milk volumes.
The news has been hailed by politicians and representatives of the farming industry in Shropshire.
North Shropshire MP Owen Paterson, Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, said: "This is tremendous news, it will mean that the Market Drayton plant will be secure."
Jeremy Lowe, NFU dairy advisor, said: "News that Muller Wiseman is expanding is great news for the county and has the potential to be of great benefit to our dairy farmers."
