No firm date has been fixed although it is believed that late Summer will be the likely date.

The Drimbawn Mushrooms farm at Belmullet has been in operation under Monaghan Mushrooms control for approximately six years. All seventy-one persons employed at the facility will be offered employment elsewhere within the Monaghan Mushrooms organisation, most likely at their headquarters at Tyholland.

Commenting on the announcement Paul Wilson, Operation Director of Monaghan Mushrooms said “The opening of a new farm in Monaghan represents a new chapter in the growth of Monaghan Mushrooms. The new farm will be the most technologically advanced and environmentally sustainable mushroom farm in the world. Although 71 employees are affected by this announcement I hope very much that they will choose to continue working for the company, contributing to our growth agenda”.

Mushrooms also contain virtually no fat, sugar or salt and are a valuable source of dietary fibre ans well as the five important B vitamins. Furthermore, they contain the minerals potassium, copper, phosphorous and iron, all essential for good health.

Monaghan Mushrooms has purchased the Essex-Kent Mushroom business of Rol-land Farms which includes the mushroom production and distribution facility at Campbellville, ON.

Accompanying the purchase is a long term commitment to the development of the site.

This acquisition will secure the future of circa 300 employees.

With a projected annual turnover of $35m this acquisition will enable Monaghan Mushrooms to make a significant contribution to the Canadian mushroom industry.

Monaghan Mushrooms who already invest in Research & Development are delighted to be acquiring the R & D capability at Campbellville. As part of it’s global R&D programme MM will continue to invest in development work at Campbellville.

Monaghan Mushrooms will work closely with the mushroom industry bodies such as Mushrooms Canada and American Mushroom Council to develop the industry and to demonstrate to the consumer that mushrooms are healthy.

Research carried out at Tufts University in Massachusetts found that a diet of mushrooms may promote innate immunity – the body’s first line of defence – against viruses. This involved feeding mice a diet of white button mushroom powder for 10 weeks and examined how mushroom intake was able to enhance the body’s own bug fighters, killer cells and cytokines, the latter being hormone-like proteins that play an important role in defending the body against viral infections and tumours*.

Leading UK dietician Dr Sarah Schenker commented: “Strong immunity depends on adequate intake of nutrients many of which are provided in good amounts by mushrooms. Now new research shows that mushrooms can help fight against viruses means that they should be an important component of a healthy and varied diet this winter.”

Mushrooms are a potent source of antioxidants and are packed with B vitamins and the essential minerals potassium, selenium and copper; they are low in fat and calories and their high water and fibre content makes them a filling and satisfying ingredient of any meal; and they contribute to our 5-a-day, helping to keep us healthy and feeling virtuous.

‘In the past two years we have invested huge sums of money to bring our facilities and management team to a world class standard and we see this contract win from one of the world’s leading retailers as an endorsement of our strategy.’ Ronnie added.

Starting 02 August Monaghan Mushrooms will commence supplying another Tesco regional distribution centre with fresh mushrooms from the UK & Ireland on a daily basis.

Research Associate Professor Min Zhang, of UWA’s School of Population Health, led the research team who examined the mushroom and tea consumption of more than 2,000 women aged from 20 to 87 in relatively affluent southeast China. Half of the women had confirmed breast cancer and the others were healthy women recruited from outpatient clinics.

“Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women worldwide and its rate is increasing in both developed and developing countries,” Professor Zhang said.

In China, the incidence of the cancer is four or five times lower than in developed countries. The researchers, including UWA’s Professor D’Arcy Holman and Zhejiang University’s Dr Jian Huang and Professor Xing Xie, investigated whether this could be due to the use of dried and fresh mushrooms and green leaf tea in the traditional Chinese diet.

“Mushrooms and mushroom extracts have been shown to possess anticarcinogenic properties and to stimulate immune responsiveness,” Dr Zhang said. “And it has been found fairly consistently in epidemiological research that green tea has anticarcinogenic effects against breast cancer.”

By interviewing all the women about their consumption of mushrooms and tea, the researchers found that the most common mushroom species eaten were fresh white button mushrooms, Agaricus bisporus, and fragrant dried mushrooms, Lentinula edodes. Some of the women in the study consumed neither mushrooms nor green tea while others enjoyed both up to three times a day. The data were adjusted for factors such as physical activity, weight, menopause, alcohol consumption and smoking, including passive smoking.

“We found that the combination of dietary intake of mushrooms and green tea-drinking decreased breast cancer risk with an additional reduced effect on the malignance of cancer. Our findings, if confirmed consistently in other research, have potential implications for protection against breast cancer development using an inexpensive dietary intervention,” Dr Zhang said.