A cutting-edge cheese factory that runs entirely on renewable energy is undergoing a major expansion just months after opening. Anglesey’s Mona Dairy plant is also aiming to go even greener with the introduction of an electric milk tanker, a UK first.
The 25,000 sq ft factory on Mona Industrial Park opened earlier this year and is capable of producing 7,000 tonnes of Welsh and continental cheeses every year. This will eventually rise to more than 30,000 tonnes following the completion of a multi-million-pound expansion.
So far £27m has been spent on the cheese plant, designed to create an annual outlet for 22 million litres of milk from spring-calving dairy herds. A further £10m is earmarked for the expansion, which will see milk throughput rise to 150 million litres per year.
New offices and a larger warehouse are being built, and a brining area extended. A further 24 silos are also planned to store the incoming milk.
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With the focus firmly on the site’s carbon footprint, Mona Dairy believes a switch to electric milk tankers will help the company on the road to achieving net zero status. A partnership has been agreed with Volvo to introduce the UK’s first Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) tractor and trailer for milk haulage.
Managing director Ronald Akkerman said: “It’s the first step towards the complete decarbonisation of our transport. Electric trucks are much quieter for communities, for our drivers and for the farms that we collect milk from, which is especially important for night-time collections.
“The pumping system on our trailer is also electric, allowing for much faster and very quiet loading of milk on farm. The Welsh countryside is a perfect match for a BEV tractor unit, as it will recover a lot of energy from braking and converts it into the electrical power that charges the vehicle’s battery.”
The e-tanker is being unveiled at this week’s Anglesey Show, where Mona Dairy is a headline sponsor. With a range of 190 miles (300 km), it has three electric motors that generate 666hp. Also on board are six batteries, storing 540kWh of energy.
Speaking on behalf of both Volvo and dealership Thomas Hardie Commercials, key account manager David Hill said the partnership aims to demonstrate a net zero approach for milk collection from farms. It is hoped that Mona Dairy will eventually run a fleet of battery-powered tankers.
“The vehicle will run for two weeks to prove the concept,” he said. “The results of the trial will enable Mona Dairy to confidently move forwards with the project.”
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Mona Dairy is co-owned by Mr Akkerman, who has previously developed major dairy projects in the UK and the Netherlands, and by Pentrefoelas-based farmer David Wynne-Finch. The latter has converted several beef and sheep units into spring calving dairy farms, which are low-cost and efficient but lack easy access to traditional processors as milk output is not year-round.
Apart from the competition for farmer-suppliers, the new factory poses little threat to South Caernarfon Creameries near Pwllheli, which works from a year-round premise. Applauding Mona Dairy’s initiative was Ynys Mon MP Virginia Crosbie, who labelled the company one of the island’s “most forward-thinking businesses”.
She added: “This latest development and move towards decarbonisation of its milk collection fleet is another first for the UK. All this fits in with my priorities of attracting investment and jobs to Ynys Mon in key industries that will be underpinned by the island’s new freeport status.”
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