UP to 60 jobs are set to be axed at one of Cornwall’s best known food production plants after a wave of redundancies were announced by its owner.

Canadian multi-national dairy giant Saputo Dairy, which acquired Davidstow Creamery after buying Dairy Crest in 2019, says it plans to stop manufacturing two ingredients which are used in infant milk formula.

The company said it was making the switch from producing demineralised whey and galacto-oligosaccharides, which it began producing in 2013 in order to return to the production of sweet whey powder.

It said that as a result of the decision, approximately 80 employees will be likely to be made redundant by the end of September 2025, with around 60 of these involving staff based at the Davidstow Creamery, with all affected to be ‘well supported’ through the process of redundancy.

Despite the changes, which the dairy giant said were as a result of ‘market conditions’ meaning that they were required to simplify the business and introduce ‘meaningful efficiencies’ to help it be best placed for the future, there would be no impact on the farms that supply Davidstow Creamery or its cheese production output.

A spokesperson for Saputo Dairy UK said: “Saputo Dairy UK (SDUK) is proposing to stop manufacturing demineralised whey (D90) and galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS), which are ingredients for the infant formula market, and return to producing sweet whey powder.

“Since the decision was made in 2013 to start producing functional ingredients, demographic shifts and changes in demand for different whey formats mean that it is no longer in SDUK’s best economic interests to continue servicing the infant formula market.

“We will consequently be entering into a period of consultation with a group of employees regarding these proposed changes. If the proposal proceeds, we regretfully expect to make around 80 redundancies, around 60 of which would be in Davidstow. The changes are expected to be completed by the end of September 2025. The proposal has no impact on our supplying farms or our cheese production.

“Market conditions are such that we are having to take difficult, but decisive, actions to simplify the business and introduce meaningful efficiencies to ensure we are best placed for the future.

“We will ensure that all employees who may be impacted by this proposal are well supported.”

The announcement comes a little over two months after Saputo Dairy UK served a 12-month notice on 13 of its South West dairy producers, a reduction of three and a half percent.

At the time, a spokesperson for Saputo Dairy UK said: “Saputo Dairy UK has recently made the decision to serve notice on a small number of our Davidstow-supplying farms.

“This is not something we have taken lightly; however, it is a necessary thing to do for the business as we seek to ensure our milk pool is fit for the future.

“We are offering the impacted farms support during their 12-month notice periods.

“We are incredibly proud of our supplying farms and the high-quality milk they produce for our market-leading cheeses.”