Services Industrial Professional and Technical Union (SIPTU) representatives at North Cork Creameries have said that their primary focus is "ensuring job security and employment continuity" following a recent announcement that the co-op has reached a commercial agreement with the Carbery Group.

On Thursday (April 2) North Cork Creameries confirmed that it has reached agreement with Carbery on a new commercial milk supply agreement.

However it did not disclose any details of the deal with Carbery because of "commercial reasons".

Commenting on the development, SIPTU Industrial Organiser, Sharon Ryan, said: “Whilst we are cautiously optimistic regarding the announcement, our focus remains on ensuring the Kanturk-based facility remains viable and that the jobs of our members are secured into the future.

"The focus of our ongoing engagement with the management team is to ensure that we secure and maintain as many jobs as possible.”

Stability

While processing at the plant is continuing, SIPTU has emphasised the need for long-term stability for both the workforce and the wider North Cork region.

“We need to get to a position whereby the jobs of our members are secured with certainty,” Ryan said.

She added that “many families, local businesses, and our members in the local environs of North Cork rely on the continued operation of the co-op in Kanturk”.

SIPTU officials said they will continue to engage with management to monitor the implementation of the agreement and protect the interests of all staff involved.

North Cork Creameries

Confirmation of the new deal with Carbery comes after a turbulent few weeks for the co-op which has been in business since 1928.

It is understood that at one stage staff at North Cork Creameries were informed that there was a possibility that their jobs at the plant in Kanturk could have been at risk.

This followed a decision by the plant to stop processing activity, after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) suspended the dairy business' licence to discharge water from its wastewater treatment plant.

The EPA had issued a notice to North Cork Creameries on February 19 ordering the co-op to suspend effluent discharge.

That notice also set out the standard that co-op needed to achieve to allow the notice to be lifted.

As a result of this, Carbery Group began processing some of the milk supplied to North Cork Creameries and discussions had been underway to secure a more permanent arrangement on this front.

It is understood that these discussions had not initially progressed as planned.

However, this week, North Cork Creameries confirmed that the deal with Carbery Group has been completed.

The Kanturk headquartered co-op today also confirmed that "positive progress is being made at the co-operative’s processing operations".