Statement by
Honourable Kathy Dunderdale
Minister of Natural Resources
May 17, 2007

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to inform the House of Assembly of another new initiative to continue diversifying the economy of Newfoundland and Labrador.

This morning, I visited Central Dairies in Mount Pearl to tour the facility and announce an investment of $1 million in an exciting expansion that will see a new line of specialty cheese products manufactured here.

By investing in the province�s growing agrifoods sector, we are supporting an industry that is providing sustainable employment and economic benefits, especially in our rural communities.

Mr. Speaker, our strategic and targeted investment under the Agriculture and Agrifoods Development Fund will create the province�s very first large-scale cheese manufacturing operation. It is allowing Central Dairies to build a new production line to manufacture high-quality cheeses for sale in this province, across the country and beyond.

Central Dairies is contributing $2.5 million toward this expansion, which will provide up to 15 long-term jobs at the Mount Pearl facility.

But Mr. Speaker, this investment does much more. At start up, Central Dairies is committed to purchasing 4.7 million litres of industrial milk from local dairy farmers. The company expects to double that volume by year seven.

By supporting this expansion, we are ensuring our dairy industry continues to receive the maximum economic benefit from industrial milk production and secondary processing opportunities.

Mr. Speaker, this investment helps our rural dairy farmers by reducing their transportation costs. Currently, the majority of the province�s industrial milk quota is exported. By enabling producers to sell their milk on the island rather than ship it to the mainland for processing, they will realize substantial savings.

Our government is committed to providing our farmers and food producers with the tools to continue building their businesses right across this province. I encourage all members of this House and the people of the province to support local farmers by purchasing top-quality cheese products produced right here at home. Thank you.

Back to Release


SearchHomeBack to GovernmentContact Us


All material copyright the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. No unauthorized copying or redeployment permitted. The Government assumes no responsibility for the accuracy of any material deployed on an unauthorized server.
Disclaimer/Copyright/Privacy Statement