First Milk has completed the purchase of Aeron Valley Cheese from Milk Marque.

The dairy, near Lampeter in west Wales, has the capacity to produce 10,000 tonnes of mature Cheddar and other cheeses a year. It joins First Milk’s existing cheese business, Scottish Milk, its three creameries in Ayrshire and its liquid milk business, Scottish Milk Dairies. The acquisition takes First Milk’s processing capacity to over 190 million litres of milk a year.

Commenting on the acquisition, First Milk chairman John Duncan said: “Our purchase will bring real benefits for the dairy industry in Wales. It safeguards employment at Aeron Valley and maintains an important processing facility under farmer ownership.”
First Milk began trading on 1 April this year as a result of the merger between Axis and Scottish Milk.