FIRST Minister Nicola Sturgeon was back on home turf today (Wednesday) as she visited the site of a planned new chemical production plant in North Ayrshire.

Ms Sturgeon, raised in Dreghorn, checked into the DSM facility in Dalry as construction of a new distribution facility for the manufacture of an animal feed additive got under way.

The nutritional products company had the proposals approved by North Ayrshire Council last month with 30 new jobs expected to be created through the process.

Earlier this year, DSM was one of two North Ayrshire companies that received a share of more than £9 million in Scottish Government funding to help industries reduce carbon emissions through decarbonisation and energy efficiency projects.

DSM was awarded a grant of over £2 million from the second round of the Scottish Industrial Energy Transformation Fund (SIETF), which launched in December 2020.

Meanwhile, Irvine paper mill UPM Caledonian secured a grant of between £500,000 and £1 million.

The project plan for the construction of DSM's new plant has been supported by a £10m funding package from the Scottish Government’s enterprise agency, Scottish Enterprise, while the whole project is expected to cost more than £100m.

DSM's plans for the new building will see it situated in the same area as the company's existing plant on the Drakemyre complex in Dalry.

The development will manufacture a product known as Bovaer, which is already manufactured in Germany, to be used as a feed additive for cows and other animals.

Bovaer is said to dramatically reduce methane emissions from the animals and contribute to a "significant and immediate reduction of the environmental footprint of meat, milk and dairy products".

The firm said the decision to develop Bovaer production was sparked by last year's COP26 summit in Glasgow.

In planning documents, DSM stated the construction and commissioning of the facility is expected to take around three years.

The existing North Ayrshire DSM production site has been in place for more than 60 years and is a world-leading production facility for high-quality micro-nutrients.

Ms Sturgeon said: “Just one year on from the announcement at COP26, I am very pleased to see the progress being made on site and the fact that spades are now in the ground.

“We are here today to celebrate a world-leading project and multi-million-pound investment which will make Scotland the home of this innovative product, underlining that Scotland continues to lead the way in delivering a net zero future.”

Site Director for DSM in Dalry, Rob de-Hooge, said: “It is great to see that after last year’s announcement in Glasgow at COP26, the construction is indeed starting today.

"The team has worked hard to achieve this important milestone and today we can all be very proud in Dalry.

"This new product will contribute to a more sustainable world and it will be produced right here at our site.”

North Ayrshire Council provost, Anthea Dickson, added: “This is a hugely significant development and it’s great to see that such an important step in the reduction of methane is happening here in North Ayrshire.

"DSM has decades of pharmaceutical experience and we have enjoyed having them as an anchor employer for a number of years.

"This new product safeguards the existing jobs and continues to support the local supply chain jobs connected with the site.”