ABN, Britain’s leading manufacturer of pig and poultry feeds, unveils ambitious investment plans to meet the demands of feeding a growing UK population.
ABN, part of AB Agri, Britain’s leading manufacturer of pig and poultry compound animal feed, has announced it intends to build a state of the art, animal feed mill in the East of England, as part of an on-going investment programme set to transform the UK agricultural industry.
In a hugely positive move for the sector, ABN’s ambitious programme represents a scale of investment never seen before within the compound animal feed industry. The investment aims to provide a sustainable solution for an industry currently close to capacity, as it tries to keep pace with the rising demand for animal feed.
With the UK population estimated to reach 77 million by 2050, it is projected that chicken and pig production will need to expand, to meet the increased demand for protein products.
“UK agriculture faces exciting opportunities ahead, to meet the demand for food from a growing population, not just domestically but globally too. This demand will drive the need for more protein products, from more productive animals and consequently drive even greater demand for animal feed,” states Simon Heath, managing director of AB Agri’s compound feed division.
“With an industry operating at near capacity, we are exploring all options to improve and expand our manufacturing capabilities to meet this demand, support our customers’ long-term ambitions for growth, and strengthen our own business too,” he adds.
ABN has invested heavily across its mill sites and transport fleet over recent years. This exciting new project is a key extension of that programme. The business will continue to invest in its existing sites.
ABN is already the largest and most advanced animal feed compounder in the UK, currently operating eleven mills. The proposed new mill will have the capacity to produce 1 million tonnes of pig and poultry feed per year.
Simon Heath continues, “The complexities of building a pioneering new mill can only be considered as a long-term project, and at this stage timings cannot be confirmed. We are looking at the viability of a number of sites in the East of England region. We will share our new location as soon as we are able to do so but what I can announce is that we are intending to build the UK’s biggest and most efficient compound animal feed mill. Not only that, the mill will deliver improved animal feed quality, improved reliability, efficiency and sustainability plus greater traceability.”
AB Agri’s Chief Executive Officer, José Nobre added: “This project is transformational and will drive an exciting new future for ABN and the UK’s food and farming businesses. The investment underlines our commitment to investing in the future of agriculture and playing an important role in building our industry’s global reputation.”