Improved berthing facilities at Dunmore East and greater investment in the region’s port infrastructure are vital because cruise liners find it too risky to launch passenger tenders offshore in rough weather, said a Waterford councillor.

The quota system was of its time, but in a more globalised market has generally run contrary to our best interests. All that is about to change, writes Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney

Enda Kenny has described 2015 as “the year of rural recovery for Ireland” because of the imminent removal of the “straitjacket” of milk quotas and the development of initiatives such as a major new dairy processing plant officially opened yesterday by Glanbia Ingredients.

YESTERDAY’S opening of the Glanbia Ingredients Ireland’s €235m dairy facility in Belview, Co Kilkenny, is as resounding a vote of confidence in this society and economy as has been seen in decades.

The Government has announced investment of almost €60m in a wood factory in the South East.

Five units of the fire brigade are currently dealing with a blaze at Belview Port in Waterford.

Up to 2,000 jobs, many indirectly, could be created by a dairy production facility which could boost the economy in the South-East by hundreds of millions of euro annually.

Up to 1,600 jobs are to be created on the back of a new dairy production facility by leading food firm Glanbia.

An Bord Pleanála has granted permission for Glanbia Ingredients Ireland Ltd’s (GIIL) proposed milk powder development at the IDA site at Belview, Co Kilkenny.

Shareholders in Glanbia Co-op opted for a new era in milk processing when they voted by 70.8% to 29.2% in favour of creating a joint venture dairy operations with Glanbia PLC which will see individual co-op members get their hands on a share-out of €160m on PLC shares.

DII, the business at the centre of major joint venture proposals in the Glanbia plc and co-op society, generated 2011 revenues of €738 million and earnings of €44m.

Glanbia co-op members could be in line for a €122m windfall if they agree to take a 60% stake in a joint venture with the Glanbia plc.

Dairy and food ingredients group Glanbia has been granted planning permission for a €200m milk processing plant at Belview Port in south Kilkenny, which is expected to employ 400 people during construction and more than 100 full-time staff upon completion.

Another major vote looms for Glanbia co-op shareholders, as Glanbia plc confirmed this week that talks are progressing with its majority shareholder, the co-op, to turn its Irish dairy processing business into a joint venture (40% plc/60% co-op).

SOURCES in Coillte have predicted the value of forest residue could be boosted to €65 per tonne by the Government’s support price structure for bio-energy.

THE recent damage to forests from land fires could reduce the raw material available for timber processors in local areas, according to Minister of State Seán Connick.

IN these straitened times I hope the Government will display courage and vision beyond the next election, specifically by investing in rail transport and in container freight in particular.

TWO men died after a rush-hour collision between a car and a lorry in Limerick last night.

THE forestry and wood products sector contribute more than €1.65 billion annually to the economy.

A MASSIVE redevelopment and rebranding of Waterford’s Viking Triangle and an iconic pedestrian bridge connecting the Clock Tower with the city’s north quays are the centre-pieces of Waterford’s pitch to the Government under the Gateway Innovation Fund.

BUSINESS leaders in Waterford have called for the establishment of a high-powered group to drive forward the city’s development over the next seven years.

THE Port of Waterford achieved a record throughput of containers in 2006.

A leading French pharmaceutical company has announced plans to create 267 new jobs in Kilkenny and Wicklow over the coming years.

WATER works in Waterford city that will lead to a dramatic improvement in the quality of the River Suir’s waters are about to get underway.

THE Port of Waterford hopes it holds the key to Ireland’s looming capacity crisis in the container shipping industry.

FISHERMEN in Waterford who have been battling for years to stop the sale of a section of quay in the city where they land their catches will discover their fate this morning.

THE Industrial Development Agency (IDA) has shrugged off claims that it’s doing nothing to bring jobs to a part of Waterford that has been dealt a series of employment blows.

THE Port of Waterford company is bidding to boost its international appeal and attract even more foreign cargo into the thriving hub.

THE Port of Waterford has told Transport Minister Martin Cullen it needs seed funding of several million euro from the Government to expand its facilities at Belview and allow it cater for increased business.

STUDENTS at Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) say they will be left without training or playing grounds if Waterford Crystal’s plans to rezone almost 25 acres, which it leases to the college, are approved.

RESIDENTS opposed to a waste treatment plant proposed for the edge of Waterford city say they will continue their campaign if a new partner is found to develop the facility.

PLANS for a controversial waste treatment centre on the edge of Waterford city have been scrapped, much to the delight of opponents to the project.

A PORT authority and CIÉ have locked horns over claims that Iarnród Éireann is blocking the sale of a 13.5-acre site that holds the key to a €100m-plus development on Waterford’s North Quays.

TWO of the country’s busiest port authorities could be about to merge.

PICKETS have been placed at one of the country’s busiest ports by disgruntled staff involved in a pay dispute.

MULTINATIONAL firms in a busy business hub are considering shipping commercial waste to Holland from January in a bid to cut disposal costs.