������������������������� GLANBIA COUNTRYLIFE MONASTEREVIN 5OTH ANNIVERSARY 3�
THE NATIONALIST | �� July ���� ���������������������������������
Celebrating 50 years of Monasterevin Creamery
THIS coming Friday, July ��, will be a day of great celebration for everyone associated with Monasterevin Creamery, when the creamery celebrates �� years of existence in what should be a day of great nostalgia at the Co Kildare agri store and garden centre. It was on January ��, ���� that Monasterevin Creamery went into production and by the end of the year ���,��� gallons of milk had been taken in by the plant from its ��� farmer suppliers. Half a century on Monasterevin Creamery has long been absorbed into the Glanbia family and continues to go from strength to strength. Besides being one of the largest Irish co-operatives, Glanbia maintains strong positions in key food markets and services around the world with an ongoing programme of expansion in India, China, Nigeria and United States. The story of Monasterevin
Creamery is one of persistence in the face of many challenges by a group of dedicated people to get it up and running in the first place. It was not all sweetness and light as will be found from reading the unfolding history of the creamery but any problems which arose over the years were dealt with in a sensible, pragmatic way allowing for the ongoing growth and development of the creamery. In truth it was a victory for co-operation over adversity. The Project Takes Shape It was on June ��, ���� that the first tentative steps were taken to establish a creamery in Monasterevin when local parish priest Fr J McDonald wrote to the Department of Agriculture seeking information regarding such a development. Two months later P T (Paddy) Donnelly, Chief Agricultural Officer (CAO) for Kildare contacted the Department, seeking the services of an organiser to
get the creamery project off the ground. The services of the organiser received the Departmental seal of approval as the creamery project began to take shape. The next important step was taken on October �� of ���� when the Kildare County Executive of the National Farmers Association (NFA) – nowadays the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) – came on board. A meeting of the Executive on that date was attended by Greg Tierney of the Irish Agricultural Organisations Society (IAOS), the body established in ���� by the visionary Sir Horace Plunkett, who pioneered the agricultural cooperative movement in Ireland. Horace Plunkett took a leading part in Irish agricultural co-operatives, having learned from the isolation of American farmers. Plunkett (����-����) set his ideas into practice among Irish dairy farmers,
establishing the country’s first agricultural cooperative in Doneraile, Co Cork and opening the Republic’s first creamery
in Dromcollagher, Co Limerick. He persuaded Irish farmers to join together and establish creameries in order to process and market
their own butter, milk and cheese to acceptable standards for the English market.
Continued on page �
Creamery Manager Bobby Cotter accepting the very first delivery of milk to Monasterevin ��th January ����:
PROUD TO SUPPLY OUR LOCAL COMMUNITIES FOR OVER 50 YEARS. • Farm Equipment • Animal Feeds • Pet Food • Equestrian • Gardening KILDARE LAOIS KILKENNY � � CARLOW
��������������������������������������� ���������������������������������������������������������������������� ����������������������������������������������������������������������������� ��������������������������������������������������������������������� ������������� OFFALY������������
���������������������������������� ���������������������������������������
www.glanbiaagribusiness.ie www.countrylife.ie Lo Call: 1890 321 321 ������������������������������
����������������������