Dan Rogerson, MP for North Cornwall and Floods Minister at the Department of Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs (Defra) has been speaking about Dairy Crest's investment in a whey plant in his constituency.

Last September, the company announced a major new £45m investment to build a plant to manufacture whey powder for which there is rising global demand, particularly in China. The investment will allow Dairy Crest to remove minerals from the whey, producing the base ingredient for baby food. The project is already underway at the company's award-winning creamery at Davidstow, the home of Cathedral City and Davidstow cheddars.

Speaking at the All Party Parliamentary Group for Cheese in Parliament, Mr Rogerson said:

“The All Party Cheese Group does a fantastic job of bringing together politicians, cheese makers and those involved in the dairy sector to discuss how we can work together to promote and support this important industry that is such an integral part of the economy in rural areas like Cornwall.

I spoke with representatives from Dairy Crest about their plans to expand the Davidstow Creamery and create more jobs in our area, about the need to support talented local cheese makers, and to promote Cornish and British dairy products both at home and around the world.”