THE United Milk plant at Westbury will be receiving its first milk in the next few weeks and has already moved to new headquarters in Trowbridge.

The firm has relocated more than 25 staff from its former site, in the Wylye Valley, to Epsom Court, at the White Horse Business Park, prior to the factory opening at the end of the month.

Chief executive Don Morris said: "We are delighted with the move to Epsom Court. It is an important step in the establishment of the company as a major force in the dairy industry."

The move means that Epsom Court, which was built last year, is now fully occupied.

Trowbridge-based commercial property agent, Brian Fitchett, let offices on the ground floor to the National Trust, shortly after family building firm Ewart Adams relocated there from Castle Street.

Mr Fitchett said: "It is always good news when we are able to find suitable accommodation for our clients quickly and especially so when it means increased employment opportunities with companies like United Milk.

"It emphasises the demand and attraction of Trowbridge as an office location, that premises can come on to the market and be let immediately to quality tenants."

Work on the £45m processing plant on the Northacre Industrial Estate in Westbury began in January last year.

The state-of-the-art farmer-owned facility will be the biggest of its kind in the country.

It will process 800 million litres of milk per year, 5.5 per cent of the UK milk quota, into skimmed milk powder, cream and butter.

It will have the capacity to produce up to 2.5 per cent of the world's skimmed milk powder and one per cent of the world's butter every year.

The plant will provide 100 jobs and will be taking in milk from farmers all around the area.

It will start receiving milk by early June at the latest and is expected to be up to full production by the end of this summer.

United Milk is a farmer-owned company, and £11m of the funding has come from farmers, with an average of £25,000 per farmer being invested.

In future years the company may expand into producing other dairy products and its portfolio of customers already offers outlets into the cheese and bottled milk markets.