The Irish Dairy Board has opened an office in Oran, Algeria. The board says the move is the first in a series of international expansions for the Irish dairy sector and that the office will help Irish products to reach the North African market of almost 200 million consumers. Last year Algeria was Ireland’s second biggest market for cheese.

The board has also announced it is opening a Kerrygold packaging plant in Algeria with the capacity to pack 4,000 tonnes of Kerrygold products a year. Kevin Lane, the Irish Dairy Board chief executive says the board has been exporting to Algeria for almost 15 years. ”It has proven a stable and robust market that has grown consistently to become our second largest market for cheese worldwide,” he adds.