NFU President opens £4m upgrade of our Lifton Feed Mill

We were delighted to welcome President of the National Farmers Union Minette Batters to open our newly upgraded Lifton Feed Mill following a £4m investment.

The investment boosts our 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.  

Ms Batters praised us for investing in the agricultural industry at a challenging and uncertain time. She told more than 150 Farmer Shareholders, members and customers who attended the opening: “It is easy to not recognise what you have, when you have it. What you’re doing is one hundred percent the only way forward. 

“It is great for me to see such huge levels of investment here in a farming cooperative. It really does give a strong sign of strength with productivity, sustainability and profitability the keys to success.  

“If you don’t get those three things right you are not going to be able to deliver on the environment. To collaborate and use your collective power to buy together is the only model. Relish this moment because it really is the future.”

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 will ensure a resilient supply of animal feed with the upgrade also enhancing diet formulation accuracy, as well as improving efficiency and reducing manufacturing costs.   

Our CEO, Jack Cordery, told members: “The purpose of today was to show you your mill. As Farmer Shareholders you own the business and we are hugely proud to be a farmers cooperative.

“It’s massively important at a time of such global uncertainty and such challenge and volatility within our markets that a strong cooperative 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.

“The lower the cost of the production the better it will be for our farmers to help support a margin on their farms. Something we strive to help with every day. This demonstrates our commitment to UK Agriculture.”

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.

Our business, which trades with a cooperative ethos, made the investment as part of an ongoing commitment to UK agriculture and its manufacturing capability.

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. 

Our 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. 

He 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.”

The opening event was attended by more than 150 of our shareholders, members and customers. They enjoyed a tour of the new facility and a detailed insight from the production, logistics and customer service teams into the workings of the mill.

Anyone wishing to find out more about our feed business can call our team on 01566 780261