Lactalis factory expands
Officials were on hand April 10 as Lactalis Canada marked the completion of a new milk receiving bay at its Winchester plant. The new bay enables a 25 per cent increase in the amount of milk the plant can receive per day. The plant can now receive up to two million litres of milk.
“This new facility will increase our ability to receive and process milk and in turn, increase production capacity and support the continued growth of the site,” said Mark Taylor, president and CEO of Lactalis Canada. “This latest infrastructure investment at over $16 million reinforces our Winchester plant’s position as the largest cheese manufacturing plant in Canada and its role as critical hub in the Canadian dairy landscape.”
The $16.4 million facility is the latest of several projects the company said. It built a new $18 million wastewater treatment plant, a new private road to divert traffic, and upgrade refrigeration and boiler plants at the facility.
The company claims it is investing $42 million at the Winchester site in 2026.
North Dundas council recently approved an increase in the water and wastewater unit allocation for the Winchester plant as new supply has come online. Approved on March 18, an additional 157.5 cubic metres of supply per day will go to the Lactalis plant. That consumes 9.1 per cent of the new supply going to Winchester.
The plant has been working with a third-party company to optimize its water consumption and conservation.
According to a March 18 council report, the installation of new private water meters inside the plant, and investment in its water recovery system mean that by the end of 2028, the Winchester plant will be able to recycle 350 cubic metres of water per day. Lactalis will pay North Dundas nearly $1.7 million for the latest water allocation. With the increase, the facility uses 1688.98 cubic metres of water per day.
