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Work Begins at Cheese Packaging Plant

FORTY-FOUR cheese jobs will be created in Stranraer by the end of the year after work began this week on a new £13.5 million packing plant and cold store at McLelland Cheese.

In a massive boost to the local economy, McLelland will be producing 100 million packs of cheese by the turn of the year. And for the first time in its 150-year history, the cheese company will have a fully integrated production, maturing, packing and storing facility the most advanced of its type in the whole world.

The first sod on the 3000sq metre packaging plant was cut on Tuesday by newly-elected local MSP Alex Fergusson.

That plant will be built on land adjacent to the old powder store which was demolished last week. It will employ 40 people including engineers and machine operators.

In addition, a massive cold store capable of holding 10,000 tonnes of maturing cheddar will be constructed on a 25 acre site on the opposite side of the Commerce Road factory.

Wrekin Construction of Shropshire have been appointed to oversee the construction of both the packing plant and the cold store at a combined cost of £13.5 million.

A completion date of late September for the packing plant has been set by Wrekin. And the cold store should follow two months later.