ONE of the major traders of grains and animal feed raw materials in the UK and Ireland has purchased a 60,000-tonne capacity grain store at Charlesfield in St Boswells as part of a £7m deal.

The building was previously run by Alexander Inglis & Son who went into administration last year.

The purchase should secure jobs in the Borders and potentially create more.

Cefetra currently dispatch between 85,000 – 90,000 tonnes of raw materials to industry partners every week and deliver 550 – 600 lorry loads per day. They have over 700,000 tonnes of storage capacity supported by state-of-the-art processing technology.

Their products are used for animal feed throughout the food and drink sector, and they supply products to food producers in sectors including dairy, beef, lamb, poultry, pork, salmon, beer, bread, biscuits, breakfast cereals and pet food.

Their head office is in Glasgow, has an annual turnover in excess of £1bn and supplies customers in the animal nutrition, food and drink Industries.

“By making such a significant investment we have taken the next step in further strengthening our grain origination business,” said managing director Andrew Mackay. “It also demonstrates our long-term commitment to supporting both the farming community and our established customers across Scotland and Northern England.

“These grain handling, processing and storage facilities allow us to work with and support farmers, whilst also enabling us to supply quality grains, oilseeds and pulses to key customers in Scotland and Northern England.

“We are well aware of the challenges that farmers face in today’s volatile market but by working together, we can support and help manage their market strategies to help generate strong returns.”

The company who aim to continue to support the future of farming and the agricultural supply sector are currently arranging an open day for the unit at the end of April.