BOCM PAULS, the United Kingdom’s leading livestock feed supplier, is to rebrand as ForFarmers, of which it has been a wholly-owned subsidiary since 2012. An international company which is active in the field of conventional and organic feed solutions for the animal husbandry sector, ForFarmers is the European market leader in the animal feed sector, with an annual production of approximately 8.5 million tonnes, a turnover of more than €2.6 billion and 2,200 employees.

Yoram Knoop, who was appointed Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the ForFarmers Group Board of Directors on 1 January 2014, states: “Our strategy is to provide customers with products based on optimal nutritional expertise through a combination of growth, increasing scale and international expansion. Our efforts are entirely focused towards helping customers to improve their returns. We do this by providing them with best-in-class nutritional solutions, specialist expertise and world-class technical advice to promote faster animal growth rates, make more efficient use of feed, improve animal health, as well as minimising agriculture’s impact on the environment. We are investing in the long-term future of the business and our goal is to further expand our ‘Total Feed’ concept to further encourage the sustainable production of dairy, meat and eggs.”

“What we are announcing today forms part of our ‘One ForFarmers’ strategy, which aims to intensify cooperation within the group, realise a more uniform way of working and focus products and innovations on the markets in which we operate. ForFarmers will become the name for our entire organisation, but it is more than just a change of brand name. It concerns all aspects of the organisation and has one objective: to optimise the potential of all the ForFarmers businesses and create one international, strong company and brand. Re-branding our activities in the United Kingdom as ForFarmers is a part of this process.”

Iain Gardner, Chief Operating Officer of ForFarmers with responsibility for the UK business added: “Whilst some may regard the rebranding of BOCM PAULS as the end of an era, in reality it simply represents the next step in the history of a company which has evolved continuously for more than 100 years in response to changing market conditions and customer requirements.

“The consolidation which we have seen in the food and farming sectors over the years is accelerating rapidly.  For example, since July 2012, we have acquired Dairy Direct, HST Feeds and Wheyfeed.  ForFarmers history is firmly rooted in the agricultural sector and as part of a strong international business we are in the best possible position going forward.

“Since ForFarmers Group acquired BOCM PAULS in July 2012 we have operated as ‘BOCM PAULS – a ForFarmers Company’ and continued to develop our ‘Total Feed Business’ approach to an even wider customer base across key markets, supplying livestock farmers throughout the UK with animal nutrition in whatever form they require. The resulting economies of scale and optimum use of resources have enabled us to further increase the value proposition which we offer by maximising our customers’ production, returns and profitability.

“Being part of a highly-professional international business we are also able to attract and retain the best staff, who are critical to the future of our company and customers. It also enables us to access ForFarmers’ extensive R&D and knowledge bank, enabling us to bring forward new products, services, initiatives and nutritional innovations which are competitively superior and relevant to our customers’ requirements. This makes our already strong New Product Development programme even stronger.

“The rebranding process is already underway and as part of an ongoing programme of updating our fleet customers are now beginning to see new or replacement lorries carrying the new livery delivering to their farms. Over the next few weeks and months, as items are replaced and stocks replenished, they will see the ForFarmers brand appearing widely throughout the business.

“This is just the start of a very exciting process, one which will ensure that we remain at the forefront of the animal feed sector for many more years to come.”