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������������������������� GLANBIA COUNTRYLIFE MONASTEREVIN 5OTH ANNIVERSARY
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the hugely significant development for Monasterevin Creamery when it became part of the Glanbia plc family – then known as Avonmore – with headquarters at Ballyragget, Co Kilkenny. Avonmore had been established in ���� as a new, multi-purpose dairy plant – the biggest processing plant facility in Europe at the time. Waterford Co-Op. formed in ����, merged with Avonmore Foods in ���� to form the ‘Avonmore Waterford Group’. It wasn’t until ���� when the ‘Avonmore Waterford Group’ was renamed and rebranded as Glanbia plc. Going back to the time following amalgamation with Avonmore in ����, Monasterevin was linked with Donaghmore Co-Op to form a major milk supply region within Avonmore. The butter manufacturing functions at Monasterevin were transferred to Glanbia (Then known as Avonmore) at Ballyragget on amalgamation.
DRIVING DOWN PRICES
�th July ���� (L-R) Harold Carter, Charles J. Haughey, Bobby Cotter (Branch Mgr), Frank Flynn (Department of Agriculture)
New Creamery opened The new creamery at Cowpasture, Monasterevin, was officially opened by the then Minister for Agriculture, Charles J Haughey, on July �, ����. That year milk intake at the Monasterevin creamery exceeded �.�� million gallons and in ���� had grown to in excess of �.� million gallons as the upward graph continued apace. By now the number of suppliers had
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grown from its original figure of ��� to ���. In a letter of September �, ���� from creamery manager, Bobby Cotter, to Patrick Kelly of the IAOS, he stated that due to a heavy financial strain on the society’s accounts, Monasterevin was in a position to only pay half the contribution to the IAOS. The full extent of that strain on the creamery finances was revealed a few weeks later at
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the annual general meeting on September ��, at which ��� shareholders were present. The recorded losses in ���� amounted to £��,��� as the creamery suffered a serious downturn. This compared with a profit of £��,��� for ����. The reason for the huge downturn was explained as follows: gross loss - £�,���; levy £��,���; production expenses £�,���; overheads £�,���; depreciation £�,���. Subsidies were up by over £�,��� which left a difference of £��,���. Members expressed dissatisfaction with the holding of the AGM so late in the year and there was a proposal to hold the ���� annual general meeting in March ����. Despite these misgivings, the ���� AGM was not held until August �, ����.
Glanbia has recently announced permanent price cuts across their best selling farm hardware products
Amalgamation with Avonmore the Best Way Forward At the meeting the chairman was asked if the committee ever considered sending milk to Avonmore and he replied that they were satisfied the present outlets were more remunerative, adding: “In any case, the cost of transporting milk to Avonmore would be prohibitive.” But the Society members felt that amalgamation with Avonmore was their best way forward. And In ���� there was
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