TAILORED medical nutrition for cancer-related malnutrition, frailty, stroke and Alzheimers will be manufactured at Macroom’s Danone plant in what will be the country’s first development of its kind.

The dairy and food company have lodged planning for an Advanced Medical Nutrition (AMN) Production Facility which, if it gets the green light, will be the first liquid medical nutrition plant in Ireland.

It will be developed at Inchinashingane on the site adjacent to the existing infant nutrition plant in Macroom. It is intended it will start operation in late 2028 and when fully ramped up in mid-2031, it will employ a further 230 people bringing total employment at the site to 460 people.

Producing disease specific and long term condition nutrition is a new departure for the French company known for well-known brands like Aptamil and Cow & Gate. The facility was initially constructed in 1979, and the site was acquired by Danone Infant Nutrition Macroom Ltd in 1995 and converted to its current use.

‘The proposed new development would produce medical nutrition solutions for patients, an identified need in Europe and globally, driven by ageing populations and the prevalence of chronic illness.

‘This application is a sign of Danone’s long-term commitment to our operations in Ireland and would further enhance Macroom’s position within our global network. It will represent significant investment, creating high-value employment opportunities and supporting a significant number of jobs during construction,’ the company told The Southern Star.

The application site, which comprises 18.44 hectares, accommodates the large-scale dairy processing facility that treats and processes milk concentrate to make bulk powdered infant formula and other dairy products that are shipped to other sites for further processing and/or packaging.

Plans lodged include construction of a two-storey, 21,759 sq m production building, a new single storey utilities service block, a research and development building and car park extensions.

The proposed development was the subject of pre-application consultations with Cork County Council and the proposal was considered acceptable in principle and the investment towards Cork was welcomed. However traffic was identified as a key issue.

‘The matters raised by the County Council have been considered and are addressed in the planning application documentation,’ reads the application.

‘The proposed development represents a substantial capital investment by the company and establishes its commitment to the town of Macroom and its environs into the future. The new production facility will safeguard existing employment at Danone Infant Nutrition Macroom Ltd. and increase the number of employees on site to c. 460 when it is fully operational in mid-2031. From an economic perspective, the policies and objectives of the County Development Plan support the proposed expansion of the existing production capacity that will secure the sustainable development of the county and protect and promote employment opportunities in the region,’ it states.