AN online auction, which will see machinery and equipment from a Co Armagh dairy go under the hammer is attracting international attention.
Enquires have been received from as far as Africa and India for items from the former Linwoods Dairy in Armagh city.
The auction extends to 100 lots, ranging from the 90,000 litre raw milk tanks used at the start of the process, to the shrink-wrapping machinery, which protects cases of bottled milk at the end.
The highest value items are the two highly automated processing lines that both have the flexibility to fill pint, litre or two litre bottles.
Paul Cooper of industrial auctioneers Eddisons CJM said they are not surprised by the level of interest.
"This dairy was purpose-built in 2004 by APV, which is the name that you always like to see attached to this sort of processing kit. It was further upgraded as recently as 2010.
“The result is a really neat, well-laid out modern facility although, good as it is, the two production lines mean that it does not have the scale to rival the gigantic super-dairies that are now being built to compete in the cut-throat business that liquid milk has become.”
“Apart from the interest from India and Africa, we have also been fielding enquiries from several European countries as well as businesses nearer to home. Whilst a number of them are in the milk business, most of this this equipment would be
equally useful to people looking to bottle juices, water or other drinks," Mr Cooper added.
A viewing session for interested companies and their agents is to take place at the Monaghan Road site next Thursday, November 22.
The full auction catalogue is available at www.eddisonscjm.com. The online sale will close at noon on Thursday, November 29.
Linwoods closed its Monaghan Road dairy in June following a decision to exit the milk business and concentrate on its lucrative health food business.
The company diversified into health food products in 2002 and now supplies more than 25 countries around the world.
In April Linwoods announced up 90 jobs cuts - a third of its total employees, with falling demand for white bread and increasing distribution costs in its bakery and dairy divisions leading to a major restructuring of the business.
