Frontier Agriculture, the UK's largest crop inputs and grain marketing business, has delivered its millionth tonne of wheat into the Cargill starches and sweeteners plant in Manchester's Trafford Park. The plant began the conversion from maize to wheat in July 2007 and is now processing around 2,000 tonnes of feed wheat every day, to produce glucose for a wide range of markets including confectionery and toothpaste.
Frontier is responsible for supplying the plant's entire wheat intake and, through its Manchester Gold wheat club, has developed strong relationships with farmers, many of whom grow wheat specifically for the Manchester plant. Mike Ayers, Development Manager for Manchester Gold, says this millionth tonne milestone clearly demonstrates the benefit of working closely with farmers and grain consumers. He added, "Supported by the expertise of our Farm Traders, and the commitment of our grain marketing and logistics teams, our customers continue to see an increasingly profitable supply chain collaboration through Manchester Gold."
The benefits to farmers of supplying wheat into the Manchester plant include average moisture contracts, preferential movement and earlier payment terms. Jon Parker, Manager of Ragley Home Farms, farming 1,500ha in Warwickshire, (pictured: on right, with Farm Trader Shaun Capel-Morris) has been a Manchester Gold member since the club first began. He said, "I am delighted to be the farmer supplying the millionth tonne of wheat into Manchester. In the last two years, 80% of my annual wheat has gone to this plant, and with Manchester Gold membership I can access my analysis data online within half an hour of tipping, which is really useful in managing my business."
Martin Douglas, General Manager of Cargill"s starches and sweeteners business in the UK, is proud of the achievement the Manchester plant has made in such a short period of time, saying, "This must be the fastest time in the long history of UK wheat milling for a plant to reach a million tonnes processed. This has only been made possible by the dedication of our staff, the integrity of our supply chain managed by Frontier and the enthusiasm shown by UK grain farmers for a project that we always said would use UK wheat for UK food production. This is real evidence that farmers growing for sustainable markets, through efficient supply chains, generate sustainable value for all."
