{"id":425267,"date":"2026-01-20T10:35:15","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T10:35:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/425267\/"},"modified":"2026-01-20T10:35:15","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T10:35:15","slug":"french-owned-lactalis-to-close-queenslands-largest-and-oldest-milk-factory-in-south-brisbane","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/425267\/","title":{"rendered":"French-owned Lactalis to close Queensland’s largest and oldest milk factory in South Brisbane"},"content":{"rendered":"

Queensland’s largest and oldest milk processing plant will close in South Brisbane in July, opening development opportunities for the valuable riverfront site.<\/p>\n

In a statement, Lactalis Australia chief executive officer Mal Carseldine said the decision had not been taken lightly and would not compromise national food supply.<\/p>\n

“This is a difficult decision, and one we have approached carefully and responsibly,” he said.\"Looking<\/p>\n

Lactalis’s South Brisbane factory is bordered by the William Jolly bridge. (ABC News: Mark Leonardi)<\/p>\n

Mr Carseldine said processing currently undertaken at the South Brisbane site would be reallocated over time to Lactalis’s other facilities in Queensland and interstate, “making greater use of existing, fit-for-purpose sites”.<\/p>\n

“We also recognise the impact this decision will have on the South Brisbane team, many of whom have contributed to the site and the Pauls business for decades,” he said.<\/p>\n

“This is not a reflection of the dedication or performance of our people.”<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Parmalat is a subsidiary of Lactalis. (ABC News: Mark Leonardi)<\/p>\n

“We are committed to treating employees with care, respect, and transparency, and to supporting affected team members through a comprehensive consultation and transition process,” Mr Carseldine said.<\/p>\n

\"Looking<\/p>\n

The factory is on a prime site in South Brisbane. (ABC News: Mark Leonardi)<\/p>\n

AWU ‘very disappointed’<\/p>\n

The Australian Workers Union said it was contacted by Lactalis today and was meeting with members who it said were understandably “very concerned about their futures”.<\/p>\n

AWU Queensland state secretary Stacey Schinnerl said the union’s top priority was offering support to workers and their families and to ensure affected members received their full entitlements.<\/p>\n

“We are very disappointed at this announcement and will be working closely with management to ensure our members are looked after as much as possible,” Ms Schinnerl said.\"Showing<\/p>\n

Google Maps shows the prime location of the South Brisbane site. (Supplied: Google Maps)<\/p>\n

The historic milk factory on Montague Road, now bordered by the William Jolly and Merivale bridges, opened on the banks of the Brisbane River in the 1930s.<\/p>\n

“Our South Brisbane site has a long history, but its location and infrastructure no longer align with the requirements of a modern, efficient manufacturing network,” Mr Carseldine said.<\/p>\n

A French family-owned business, Lactalis is the world’s largest fresh dairy company with over 250 production sites and 80,000 employees across 94 countries.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Lactalis owns the Pauls brand. (ABC News: Mark Leonardi)<\/p>\n

It owns brands including Pauls Milk, Ice Break Iced Coffee, Tamar Valley, Vaalia yoghurt, Oak and Breaka flavoured milk, and Lemnos cheese.<\/p>\n

Mr Carseldine said the decision did not reflect a reduction in the company’s commitment to Australia or Queensland.<\/p>\n

Last year, it became the largest dairy company in Australia, following the purchase of Fonterra Cooperative<\/a> Group for $3.4 billion.<\/p>\n

The company has committed more than $200 million to modernising manufacturing facilities across Australia through 2025\u201326 and will process Queensland milk at its Nambour factory on the Sunshine Coast.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Lactalis Australia supplier Waylon Barron has been shocked by the announcement. (Supplied: Waylon Barron)<\/p>\n

The decision to close the South Brisbane factory has surprised Waylon Barron, a fourth-generation dairy farmer, Lactalis supplier and the vice-president of advocacy group eastAUSmilk.<\/p>\n

He had expected it would happen eventually, but not so suddenly.<\/p>\n

“It’s a bit shocking isn’t it? For everyone, for the farmers, the employees,” Mr Barron said.<\/p>\n

“I feel sorry for the people who have worked there for years. That’s not how you want to start 2026.”<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Advocacy group eastAUSmilk says Queensland is currently trucking in milk from down south to meet domestic supply. (ABC Rural: Lydia Burton)<\/p>\n

Mr Barron said Lactalis had told dairy farmers it would be business as usual for suppliers.<\/p>\n

“They’ve reassured us that the milk will be processed in Nambour and they’ll honour our contracts, and nothing’s going to change other than where they process our milk,” he said.<\/p>\n

“I’ve spoken to a few other Lactalis suppliers, and they’re in a bit of shock, like it hasn’t really sunk in yet.”<\/p>\n

A redevelopment of the South Brisbane site would fast-track plans already underway to transform the remnants of the once-thriving industrial precinct ahead of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Brisbane.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

The Visy glass factory in South Brisbane. (Google Maps)<\/p>\n

In October 2025, the Queensland government revealed plans to partner with the private sector to transform the nearby 7.1-hectare Visy glass recycling and manufacturing facility into a “thriving mixed-use precinct”.<\/p>\n

It said it could deliver over 4,000 more homes, entertainment spaces, riverfront promenades, event lawns and community spaces.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Queensland’s largest and oldest milk processing plant will close in South Brisbane in July, opening development opportunities for…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":425268,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[6634,100396,31367,25980,43,64691,44,223401,11942,41,39,42,40],"class_list":["post-425267","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-agriculture","tag-closing","tag-farm","tag-farmer","tag-headlines","tag-lactalis","tag-news","tag-oldest-milk-factory","tag-sunshine-coast","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/425267","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=425267"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/425267\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/425268"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=425267"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=425267"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=425267"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}