100 new jobs as C&D Foods announces €48m investment
The petfood division of ABP Food Group, C&D Foods, has announced an investment of €48 million for flagship facility at Edgeworthstown.
The investment, which includes the creation of 100 new roles in engineering, operations, supply chain and quality assurance will increase production capacity at the site by 25%.
Around 100 people are being employed during the construction phase, which is under way.
The investment is supported by Enterprise Ireland; it will result in an extension of the building and the creation of additional automated multi-packing and pouch filling lines using the most sustainable innovations available.
Colm Dore, manging director, C&D Foods, said: “This is a significant step forward for our business. We are seeing a trend across Europe where consumers are favouring pouched pet food for smaller companion animals, and we are in prime position to continue to capitalise on the growing demand for those types of products.
“This investment will enable the company to maintain its position at the forefront of the pet food market while also leading to the creation of new high skilled jobs and positive economic development in our community.”
Dara Calleary, TD, Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation, said: “I was delighted to join the C&D Foods team to celebrate the announcement of the expansion of their facilities and the creation of jobs in Longford.
“A key priority for this government is to foster regional enterprise development and create jobs across all the regions of Ireland. C&D Foods is an Irish company that has experienced impressive growth, producing premium pet food and today’s expansion announcement is a great boost for Longford and the midlands, paving the way for this home-grown company to significantly scale its business.
“The government, through Enterprise Ireland, look forward to continued engagement with C&D Foods to support the growth of the business into the future.”
Minister Peter Burke said: “I welcome this great news on the continued growth and expansion of C&D Foods – 100 new jobs and an investment of €48m will have a hugely positive impact on the local and regional economy. Balanced regional development is a key government strategy and this is one good example of projects coming on stream and positively impacting locally.”
Leo Clancy, CEO of Enterprise Ireland said a goal for Enterprise Ireland is to support companies to make the transition to the low-carbon, resource-efficient economy of the future by increasing their level of innovation and all the while improving their competitiveness.
“We have worked closely with C&D foods to support them with their sustainability strategy, reducing carbon by investing in carbon abatement technologies and driving productivity through investing in digitalisation technologies.
“This investment in the Edgeworthstown plant reflects highly on the entire Irish food sector. We look forward to working closely with C&D Foods to optimise their full international growth potential, creating and sustaining jobs here in Longford.”
C&D Foods is the pet foods division of ABP Food Group. C&D Foods, one of the largest own label pet food manufacturers in Europe, has production facilities in 11 locations across the continent. C&D Foods employs 500 staff in Ireland and a further 1,400 across Europe.
In 2021 C&D announced a €60 million contract with Donegal based packaging company ProAmpac in Gweedore. ProAmpac is now a supplier of pet food pouches for C&D operations across Europe. Both parties are working on the development of more sustainable pet food pouch packaging including recyclable options.