THE First Minister of Wales has addressed concerns over the dairy industry turning stale if the site is maintained for the low-labour supply of milk.

Arla Foods, who announced the closure of Llandyrnog creamery last month, cited rising costs and a demand for lower prices caused by Brexit as their need to close the site, as part of an effort to save over £350 million by 2020.

But the company could still maintain the site to supply milk for the production of Welsh cheddar that has been relocated to England and Scotland, a process that would only employ a fraction of the 97 members of staff that have lost their jobs since the creamery’s closure.

This would leave the site and the dairy industry in the Vale of Clwyd in a similar position to that of west Wales following the closure of the Dairy Crest dairy site in Whitland, Carmarthenshire in 2013 that resulted in 31 job losses and prevented other forms of dairy production taking place there.

Carwyn Jones, First Minister, said: “I remember how difficult it was to ensure that the land was released in Whitland. I was the Minister at the time and ensured that that happened.

“It stood there, mothballed, for years in the town, and that’s not something that people wanted to see; it was something that they wanted resolved and the land being used.

“So, there are two things: first, looking at the opportunities for the site itself, and, secondly, ensuring that there is support available for the people who work there. ReAct and Business Wales are working with Arla Foods to see what opportunities there are.”

Llyr Gruffydd, AM for North Wales, made his plea regarding the Llandyrnog dairy, saying: “There’s a very real danger that the Llandyrnog dairy site will lie idle just like Whitland did. That’s unacceptable when there are hundreds of local suppliers, as well as the 100-strong workforce, who may face real problems with the relocation to Devon and Scotland.

“We cannot afford to see another Whitland – which became a tombstone for the dairy industry in west Wales.”