A FAMILY-owned dairy manufacturer in Shaftesbury will be getting a cash boost of more than £700,000, which will be used to develop a new facility onsite.

This will in turn create more than 30 new jobs at the factory.

Last week BV Dairy announced that the £750,000 funding had been approved from the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE), and the money will continue the business's investment of the past four years and further developments.

This includes the new chill-store, a kefir bottling facility, and an automated process department.

Vaughan Heard, finance director of BV Dairy, said the team is "delighted" to secure the latset funding, adding: "[This] will support us in our aim to provide increased long-term opportunity for local employees and security for farmers and rural workers in north Dorset.”

The overall expansion will cost around £2million.

Vaughan added: “We are extremely proud of the wonderful dairy industry heritage and legacy in North Dorset, and to play our part in bringing these quality products to a national and international audience.

"The additional capacity created by the new facility, together with the improvements in technology, allows us to court major new customers - which in turn creates more opportunity for our dairy farm suppliers.”

The £750,000 grant from RDPE was secured by BV Dairy with the aid of the Dorset business community.

Construction of the new facility is expected to start in January 2021.

“I would like to thank the RDPE for its generous grant funding. I also wish to extend my sincere thanks to Simon Hoare, MP for North Dorset, our many Dorset suppliers, and Ian Girling, chief executive of Dorset Chamber of Commerce, for their collective support and assistance in helping BV Dairy to secure the necessary funding,” Vaughan added.