Wiseman Opens GBP80 Million Somerset Dairy

Robert Wiseman Dairies opened what they say is Britain’s most efficient and environmentally advanced dairy yesterday.

The £80million development has been created at Bridgwater in Somerset.

It has the capacity to process and pack 10% of Britain’s fresh milk requirements and has been specially designed to reduce energy, water and plastic use, as well as food miles.

The site already has capacity for 250million litres (54.992million gallons) of milk a year but chief executive Robert Wiseman used the opening to say the firm had already started work to lift this to 350million (76.989million gallons). The site when fully utilised will have the ability to process about 500million litres (109.984million gallons).

He added: “Bridgwater is the largest single investment in the British dairy industry to date, and we believe it represents a step change because of the focus placed on use of energy, water, materials and waste.

“It is located in the heart of one of Britain’s largest milk-producing areas, which keeps farm tanker miles to a minimum.

Wiseman now processes and distributes milk from 22 sites across the UK from Cornwall to Aberdeen. It employs more than 4,500 people.

The firm supplies 27% of the UK’s fresh milk needs and last year processed 1.5billion litres (329.953million gallons).