Lakeland Dairies has said it has undertaken "substantial investment" at the LacPatrick Dairies site in Co. Tyrone, following issues around environmental compliance.

LacPatrick Dairies (NI) Ltd was fined over £100,000 by a court for environmental breaches, including milk spillages to a river, at its site in Artigarvan, Strabane, Co. Tyrone.

The business, which is owned by Lakeland, was made the subject of a total of £115,000 in fines in relation to three separate cases heard at Strabane Magistrates Court yesterday (Thursday, August 13).

In a statement to Agriland, Lakeland Dairies said it "notes the decision of the court".

The business said that the issues before the court "arose as a result of unintended operational circumstances".

"During this period, and since then, Lakeland Dairies has undertaken substantial investment at the Artigarvan site," the Lakeland statement said.

This investment included "significant upgrades" to wastewater treatment infrastructure, enhanced monitoring systems, and a range of operational improvements, Lakeland said.

The business added that it "remains fully committed to the continuous improvement and to maintaining the highest standards of environmental compliance".

Lakeland

In other news coming from Lakeland Dairies this week, the processor has agreed to increase the price for milk for the month of July.

The processor said it will pay a base price of 38.5c/L, based on constituents of 3.6% butterfat and 3.3% protein, for July milk in the Republic of Ireland.

This price is inclusive of the 0.5c/l Sustainability Incentive Payment, Lakeland said.

The base price for July marks a 1c/L increase on the previous month.

In Northern Ireland, the processor confirmed a base price of 30.9p/L for milk supplied in July, also inclusive of the Sustainability Incentive Payment. This price is an increase of 0.8p/l on June.

In a statement on the latest milk price, a spokesperson for Lakeland Dairies said: "The market has improved marginally versus last month".

"Milk supply growth is easing somewhat, particularly in Europe where summer temperatures have impacted," the spokesperson added.

"If supply continues to slow, this will support a more positive market environment as the year progresses," the statement said.