Fears for future of £20m island dairy

The Mona Dairy cheese plant opened in 2022

There is concern for the future of an Anglesey cheese plant after its owners said it had failed to secure funding.

The £20m Mona Dairy opened two years ago at Gwalchmai on the island, focusing on making Welsh and continental cheeses and supplied with milk by about 30 farms in the region.

In a statement on Wednesday, the company said it had "failed to source sufficient short-term funding" to "keep functioning in its current form".

The firm said it had arranged for another operator to take the milk from any of its current suppliers, while the company considered its options.

"The shareholders will be working tirelessly over the next few days to secure the best outcome for everyone involved in the Mona Dairy project," said chief executive Ronald Akkerman.

The company said it "remained hopeful" it could secure the plant's future, though that may be under new ownership.

The dairy said the main priority was to "secure a safe home for our 31 farmers and for our loyal, dedicated staff".

Senedd member Rhun ap Iowerth said the announcement was "disappointing and worrying".

"Mona Dairy had emerged as a potentially very important employer over recent years," he said,

"This is clearly a blow."

The company set out to establish itself on a model of paying a premium rate for milk for farmers, while running the operations in a carbon-neutral manner.

"We have tried our hardest to deliver the best and most modern, environmentally sustainable cheese processing plant for our farmers and for Wales and are devastated that we could not get it over the line," said the firm's chief executive.

"We were so close. But close has not been enough.

"We thank all of the many people who came with us on our journey and are truly sorry we have come up short."