Profits of E5.2m for Lakeland Dairies

Ray Ryan, Agribusiness Correspondent

The improved turnover was attributed to organic business growth plus a five-month contribution from LE Pritchitt and Co, the major dairy food service firm which Lakeland acquired during the year. It also reflects a full year’s operation by the Bailieboro Foods and Nestlé Omagh businesses acquired by Lakeland in the previous year.

Lakeland Dairies operates across 15 counties on a cross-Border basis, processing more than 700 million litres of milk annually at several major facilities. Some 450m litres is sourced from the Republic and 250m from Northern Ireland. Chief executive Ed Prendergast said the results were satisfactory bearing in mind the variable levels of demand which existed for dairy stocks in volatile international markets.