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The biggest cross-border dairy co-operative here has announced job losses at a processing facility in County Monaghan.

Lakeland Dairies said 68 jobs will go and others in the 130-strong workforce would be redeployed.

The head of the company said there needed to be efficiencies to ensure a sustainable future.

It also owns processing facilities in Newtownards, Artigarvan, Coleraine, Banbridge and several in the Republic.

'Significant and recurring losses'

The move follows a merger in April between Lakeland and another dairy company LacPatrick, which previously owned the Monaghan site.

Lakeland chief executive Michael Hanley said there had been little investment there over the years and it had suffered from "significant and recurring losses".

"It is essential for us to realise efficiencies from within our merged group of processing facilities and to achieve sustainable profitability in the interests of our farm families on a long-term basis for the future."

He said some operations on the Monaghan site would be shut and others would be transferred to other locations in the group.

Lakeland Dairies processes around 1.85bn litres of milk a year from 3,200 farms with a significant amount of it collected from farms in Northern Ireland.

Mr Hanley said the company needed the flexibility to send that milk to whichever processing facility needed it at any given time to meet market demand.

As well as liquid milk, Lakeland produces a range of butter, milk powder and food service products.

Its plant at Newtownards makes a range of convenience products including, dessert products, milk sticks and butter wraps.