AN Okehampton farmer-owned company which has turned itself around since the foot and mouth crisis is launching a marketing drive to attract new members and provide more local produce for local people.

Peninsula Milk is using a £3 million investment to double the capacity at its processing plant on the Exeter Road Industrial Estate and be a key figure in the regional production of fresh, wholesome and quality foods.

Established in 1994 by a local group of milk producers, Peninsula experienced rapid growth in the late 90s but hit problems last year when the foot and mouth crisis took hold.

Chief executive Nick Bateman explained at the company?s open day last Thursday that a new team had been brought in to turn the company around after farmers started dropping off the books.

Peninsula had embarked on an expansion programme with the promise of a £500,000 grant from Europe, but work had to be put on hold during the crisis.

Mr Bateman said it was feared the grant might be lost because of the timescale of when the money should be used by, but fortunately the deadline was extended and the investment from a variety of sources now added up to £3-million.

?We now have just over 70 farmers on our books from Devon and Cornwall and 77 members of staff,? he said. ?We are looking to increase the number of farmers and provide security for the workforce we currently have.?

He added that as the volume of milk processed at the plant continued to grow, new job opportunities would also arise. As well as milk Peninsula is also producing a range of cream-based products.

Currently, South West farms produce a large proportion of the nation?s milk, but it is then processed out of the area and has to be transported again back to our shops. This results in increased traffic congestion, more food miles and reduced employment opportunities.

Peninsula Milk cuts all of this out with 35 million litres of milk per year from local farms, prepared and distributed locally for local people.

Mr Bateman said enthusiastically: ?Peninsula is an established operator in the region and now after all the hard work by our farmer members in the mid 1990s to gain a foothold in the local market place, the co-operative is ready to take the next step in this development.

?It will be exciting times for us as consumers to see more of our dairy range in the shops and equally we will be using the milk from more farmers to keep the supply going.?