Mole Valley Farmers has announced the reopening of Lifton Feed Mill following a £4m investment.
The Devon feed mill was opened by president of the National Farmers Union Minette Batters. The investment will boost the retailer's manufacturing capabilities by improving the mill's raw material storage capacity and enabling feed production to increase by around 20,000 tonnes to a total of 135,000 tonnes a year.
The project, on the Devon and Cornwall border, involved the construction of 12 new 70-tonne raw material bins and seven new 8-tonne mini bulk handling bins, resulting in a total on site storage capacity of between 900 to 1,000 tonnes.
The increased storage hopes to ensure a "resilient supply" of animal feed with the upgrade also enhancing diet formulation accuracy, as well as improving efficiency and reducing manufacturing costs.
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Ms Batters commented: “It is great for me to see such huge levels of investment here in a farming cooporative. It really does give a strong sign of strength with productivity, sustainability and profitability the keys to success."
Mole Valley Farmers chief executive Jack Cordery said: “It’s massively important at a time of such global uncertainty and such challenge and volatility within our markets that a strong cooporative movement and business like Mole Valley exists.
“Everything we make gets reinvested back into the business and what we’re trying to do is support farmers in their endeavours to produce the highest quality milk and meat.
“This investment will secure the site for many years to come. It is the heart and jewel in our crown in terms of what it can do. The insecurity in global supply chains, made worse by the invasion of Ukraine, has meant getting raw materials and supply into our feed business, to make the highest quality feed we can, has at times been challenging.
“The investment will allow us to hold greater stocks of raw material. We’ve also focused on our environmental impact. What we are seeking to do is become the most efficient feed manufacturing business out there."
In addition to the £4m investment a further £250K has been invested in upgrading the process control system to the most modern currently available, delivering new levels of automation and efficiency within the manufacturing process.
The construction at Lifton Feed Mill began in May 2022 and has taken around 12 months to complete. The upgrade also improves the environmental impact of the site, which is cleaner, with less noise, fewer lorry movements and reduced dust.
Mole Valley Farmers' director of Agri Operations Kevin Singleton, who oversaw the project, said it had involved 1,000 tonnes of concrete and more than 230 tonnes of steel.
Mr Singleton said: “This investment puts us on a really strong footing for continued feed production for many years to come. It enables us to maintain our position as a low-cost operator whilst at the same time ensuring we produce and provide our farmers with the highest quality animal feed backed up by excellent levels of customer service.”
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