CEO of Donegal Meat Processors, Walter Terry Acheson submitted a planning application to the local authority to extend the factory’s packaging building and to relocate their tray wash facility.

The company is seeking to expand their packaging building because they say their existing storage is limited.

“The existing area can really only take part loads, there is limited supply to keep the factory running. The delivery will now allow full lorry loads as the proposed storage area will stack higher and have a longer storage life,” the company’s architectural consultant outlined in the planning documents.

The application also seeks to relocate the company’s current tray wash facility which is situated on the first floor and is shared with their existing box store.

There is currently limited floor space on the first floor to store the clean trays and the new tray wash facility will allow for more trays to be washed in a single operation.

“The new location on the ground floor allows a simple operation from getting the trays into the tray wash on ground floor to actual storage of the clean ones.

“Currently to feed the tray wash involves forklifts within the factory to lift pallets a height of over 6 metre to a hatch on the first floor. The waste from the tray wash is carried through the existing foul system and treated in an in-site treatment plant, the connection of the new located tray wash will be through the same drainage network and into the existing treatment plant.”

A decision is due to be made on the application by June 1.