Dairy is forced to shed jobs

May 1 2008 by Karen Dent, The Journal

DAIRY Farmers of Britain is to shed jobs at its Blaydon site as around 30 people are made redundant across the group.

A formal consultation has started with the staff and unions as the co-operative, formed in 2002 by the merger of Zenith Milk and the Milk Group, seeks to trim back its workforce. Before yesterday’s announcement, the business employed around 2,750 people in England and Wales.

Four staff are expected to go from the 34-year-old Blaydon dairy, which supplies milk and cream to around 2.5 million consumers in the North East and Cumbria. It produces nearly three million litres of milk a week, operating for 24 hours a day on a six-day week. As well as processing and bottling milk, the dairy packages cream and orange drinks.

Dairy Farmers of Britain bought the Blaydon site from ACC in 2005 and since then has invested £3.5m to improve its processing facilities. It said in February that a further £7m had been earmarked for more improvements over the next two years.

A spokesman said: “The job losses do affect people across the business.”