2020-01-31 |
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Aspatria Farmers Opens Brand New Dairy Centre
Aspatria Farmers has endorsed its commitment to dairying and its farming members by opening a brand new premises for its dairy services business MTS in Longtown, Cumbria on Thursday January 30.
The Co-op’s first Honorary Life President Ian Bell, who was chairman for 23 years and has a long family association with the business, was joined by farmer customers and business suppliers when he officially opened the building on Longtown’s Borders Business Park.
Left to right, Mark Lee, John Swainson, William Graham, chairman, Tim Wilson, chief executive, Ian Bell honorary life president, Lenard Hall, David Wright and Richard Miller.
Aspatria Farmers bought the one acre site on the business park from neighbours, construction and civil engineering company R H Irving Construction who also carried out the building work on the new 9,000 square foot development.
Aspatria Farmers has invested £650,000 in the new building, which includes a workshop, parts and spares store, general product storage area and a trade counter together with office accommodation and meeting rooms.
The farmer-owned co-operative which will celebrate 150 years in business this year bought MTS Dairy Services in 2015.
Since then MTS business has grown to provide dairy and electrical services on more than 350 of the co-op’s members’ farms on both sides of the Border as distributors for Dairymaster and Fullwood parlours and equipment - outgrowing its former premises on the business park.
Mr Bell said MTS was fulfilling an important role in the dairy sector in Cumbria and South West Scotland. “The business has grown to the extent that it now employs 11 dairy engineers - there were only five when Aspatria Farmers bought the company. It now employs a total of 18 people,” said Mr Bell, who attributed the successful building of the new premises to chief executive Tim Wilson, who joined the co-operative in 2015.
Aspatria Farmers secured a £180,000 DEFRA Rural Development Grant for the project.
The Longtown base is central for serving the dairy farming customer base that stretches from Dumfries and Brampton in the north, to Cockermouth and to Appleby in the south with the Aspatria and Plumpton stores also now carrying more dairy parts and spares.
The Aspatria Farmers store has been built to the latest standards regarding cladding and insulation and the building’s heating and hot water are on electrical systems powered by a solar array.
Mr Wilson said:
“The new build has given us the opportunity to invest in an asset for the future and with the main funding coming from our bank we are not asking members to help fund it or dip into our reserves.
“It is crucial for our dairy farming members that we invest in the best facilities to service our member base in the future and in doing so we ensure that our engineers have a safe and professional environment which encourages them to keep their skills in agriculture.”
