Zoetis seeks permission for Tullamore expansion plan

The multinational animal medicines firm Zoetis has submitted a planning application to Offaly County Council for a major expansion of its manufacturing capacity in Tullamore.

The proposed development at the company’s local facility, in Sragh Business and Technology Park, Rahan Road, is due to involve the creation of up to 100 new jobs over the next three years.

The company said its planning application “represents an $150m (€133m) project development that will see a further four-fold expansion” of the facility.

It said this was designed “to meet demand for Zoetis products internationally.”

The firm, described as the world’s leading animal health company, has the headquarters of its international commercial operations in Cherrywood, Dublin.

It also has other Irish manufacturing sites in Tallaght and in Rathdrum, Wicklow.

Zoetis acquired Nexvet, and the Tullamore site, in July 2017, and since then it has been expanding its manufacturing capacity here, making a $2.2m (€1.96m) investment in its manufacturing process at the site in 2019.

The new planning application, which was received by Offaly County Council from Jacobs Engineering, on behalf of Zoetis Belgium S.A. (Irish branch), on November 11, is for a manufacturing operational building of approximately 8,500 square metres.

In addition, the company is planning to add 152 permanent car parking spaces, bringing parking at the Zoetis site up to 182 permanent car parking spaces.

The planning application anticipated that construction would take approximately 18 to 20 months to complete and would require the employment of around 540 construction workers at the peak of the project.

An environmental impact assessment report, included with the planning application, said the project would have a significant positive long-term impact on Tullamore due to its job creation, but also acknowledged that there would be “a slight negative permanent effect on recreational amenity space in the immediate vicinity due to the loss of informal recreational amenity space.”

The environmental report stated that the proposed facility was not expected to cause any significant ecological effects locally.

Already employing 90 scientists and technicians at its Tullamore facility, Zoetis said the planned expansion would strengthen and diversify its global manufacturing and supply network, enabling it to meet growing commercial demand and support future growth in veterinary biopharmaceuticals.

Its proposed expansion in Tullamore was warmly welcomed by politicians when it was announced last month, with Tanaiste Leo Varadkar describing it as “a very welcome announcement for the local and wider Midlands region... it demonstrates that the Midlands has the skills, talent, people, and connectivity that will enable companies like Zoetis to embed and grow its operations here.”

Offaly County Council is due to make its decision on the planning application by January 14 next.