Danone wins approval to expand Macroom operations and add 230 jobs
County Cork planners have approved Danone’s proposal to expand its operations at Inchinashingane, on the outskirts of Macroom. The French food and dairy group plans to construct a facility for specialised liquid nutritional products intended for medical use, including products for cancer patients, people recovering from strokes and those affected by frailty.
The plant is scheduled to open towards the end of 2028 and to become fully operational by the middle of 2031. Danone said the project would add as many as 230 positions in phases. Once the expanded site is complete and operating at full capacity, employment there is expected to total roughly 460 people.
The development will include a 21,759-square-metre production building, together with research and development space, utilities and other support infrastructure. Plans also provide for parking for 44 heavy goods vehicles. The new buildings will stand alongside Danone’s current Macroom facilities.
Macroom currently hosts a major production site serving Danone’s Nutricia network, which makes infant-formula brands including Aptamil and Cow & Gate. The proposed plant would broaden the site’s output from powdered infant formula to liquid medical nutrition. Danone said it would be Ireland’s first facility dedicated to liquid medical nutrition.
In its planning application, Danone described the site as being within a rural greenbelt and a high-value landscape. The company said local development policies supported the expansion of existing production capacity and the protection and promotion of employment in the region.
Danone also said that demand for medical-nutrition products had been identified in Europe and worldwide, citing ageing populations and the prevalence of chronic illness. “This application is a sign of Danone’s long-term commitment to our operations in Ireland and would further enhance Macroom’s position within our global network,” the company said. It added that the project would involve significant investment, create high-value jobs and support employment during construction.
Danone operates in more than 120 countries and recorded global sales of more than €27bn last year. In Ireland, the company also runs a major packaging facility in Wexford.
