INDUSTRY FOCUS FOOD & BEVERAGE A CLOSED-LOOP COLLECTION SERVICE
farmers’ demand for a ruminants feed that offered a higher nutritional value and an increased lifespan than what was already available,” explained Neil McInnes, purchasing manager UK at ForFarmers. “We made the proposal to Sedamyl and
As well as providing an efficient co-product collection service to Sedamyl UK, ForFarmers is also helping the company generate revenue from the sale of blended co-product as animal feed
A
s part of its production process, wheat processor Sedamyl UK generates
hundreds of tonnes of non-core product remnants each day. With a busy production schedule, it is important that its co-product partner ForFarmers collects this valuable material daily. But regular, reliable collection is only part of the service. A commitment to innovation saw ForFarmers develop a nutritious animal feed product from Sedamyl’s residual volumes. Not only is this delivering increased commercial returns for Sedamyl, it is also contributing to Britain’s growing closed-loop food chain. ForFarmers collects, blends and trades
over half a million tonnes of co-products each year from UK food and drink producers, and has been in co-product partnership with Sedamyl UK since 2012. Based in Selby, Yorkshire, Sedamyl UK is
an agribusiness that processes wheat to manufacture a range of products for the human food and drink industry, including alcohol, starch and gluten. Co-products of its operation include feed wheat and syrup, which have an intrinsic value as animal feed. These must be collected from site several times each day in order for the company to meet its production schedule. “It is essential that our co-products are
collected promptly throughout the day, as our production process is continuous,” explained Ramona Maccagno, logistic manager for Sedamyl UK. “And although the volumes we produce are consistent – up to 10,000 tonnes each month – there can be slight changes to our production which alter this.”
22 MAY 2020 | PROCESS & CONTROL Product managers, production and
logistical staff from ForFarmers liaise daily with Sedamyl to plan collection times. “We provide ForFarmers with a production forecast a week in advance,” explained Maccagno. “They then create a collection schedule, which is reviewed daily by both sides.”
MAXIMISING COMMERCIAL RETURNS As well as helping Sedamyl UK to continue uninterrupted manufacture of their core products, these co-products also bring an additional revenue stream, thanks to their value as animal feed. The ForFarmers sales and trading teams strive to achieve the most competitive rates for their customers’ co-product volumes in the open market, selling to a network of farmers across the UK. In the case of Sedamyl, however, they spotted an additional opportunity to increase these commercial returns even further. “We felt that by blending Sedamyl’s two
co-product streams of feed wheat and syrup, we could potentially meet our
Sedamyl UK’s site in Selby
explained that if they were keen to explore this possibility further, we would work with them to determine the potential commercial value. They agreed to jointly fund a new mixing station, so we commissioned the R&D experts at our in- house Nutrition Innovation Centre to analyse the composition of the co- products. Early signs were favourable, so we continued with the product development, working hard to achieve the optimal, balanced blend of materials at our mill and using additives to increase the feed’s shelf-life. We presented Sedamyl with the finished product – SelcoPlus – just six months later,” said McInnes. A highly palatable moist feed, SelcoPlus
is high in energy and protein content and contains moderate amounts of starch and sugar, making it especially suitable when used in grass silage-based rations for dairy cows. It is designed to boost milk yield and quality and, once ensiled, will store for many months. “SelcoPlus proved an instant hit,”
confirmed McInnes. “Unique to ForFarmers, the brand is now firmly established in the market, attracting a loyal customer base who purchase it year- round. It has it filled the gap for a highly nutritious, long-lasting, premium ruminants feed; also helping to close the loop by boosting milk production.” Not only that, but it has also increased
Ramona Maccagno, logistic manager for Sedamyl UK
Sedamyl’s co-products have an intrinsic value as animal feed
commercial returns for Sedamyl, who are delighted with the success of the project. “Not content merely to sell our two co- products separately on the open market, ForFarmers came up with the idea of blending them together to create a brand- new, highly nutritious and financially lucrative offering,” confirmed Maccagno. “Although we contributed to the development of the project, ForFarmers shouldered a lot of the risk; researching, developing, producing and marketing the product. Their belief paid off as it has been popular since it launched, creating an additional revenue stream for us. We are delighted with the increased returns that SelcoPlus has delivered.” Along with Sedamyl, ForFarmers works
with a range of brewers and food producers across the UK, collecting, trading and blending their co-products into premium animal feed for British farmers, providing the optimal closed- loop sustainable food chain solution.
ForFarmers
www.forfarmers.co.uk
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