AN Ipswich-based feed firm is looking towards northern Europe as it eyes up opportunities to expand its markets.

Livestock feeds marketed and produced by BOCM PAULS International will be featured at Nutrifair, a specialist agricultural trade exhibition in Fredericia, Denmark which takes place from January 23 to 24.

The company, now part of the ForFarmers group, continues to expand its feed business in Scandinavia and North European countries, particularly Denmark and Finland.

Demand for ruminant diets and speciality feeds, including dairy rations and game feeds, has grown rapidly over the past 10 years, adding to the increasing popularity of the company’s well-known range of baby pig and starter feeds.

Nutrifair is a new exhibition geared specifically to modern livestock feeding and management, allowing manufacturers to present their products and equipment to farmers in Scandinavia who are involved in day-to-day livestock production.

“It provides us, as feed suppliers, with the opportunity to feature our latest developments in nutrition and feeding systems in a focused market place,” said Tony Suckling of BOCM PAULS International.

Specialist conferences will be held throughout the two days of the exhibition covering aspects of current and future livestock production and new technology in the feeding and management of livestock..

“Despite tough trading conditions across Europe, our established distributors and manufacturers in Scandinavia have significantly increased their feed sales over the previous year, providing a strong platform for further development,” he said.

“We are particularly looking forward to increasing business in the dairy, sheep and calf sectors.”

Heading up the team at Nutrifair will be Alan Chamberlain, key account manager for Denmark, together with Dr. Helen Stebbens, technical manager monogastrics.

BOCM PAULS employs around 40 staff at its headquarters in Ipswich and about 1000 throughout the UK

Its acquisition by ForFarmers, which was based mainly in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium, was approved in July last year, following an announcement of the deal in March.

It made ForFarmers the largest feed company in Europe with 8.8 million of tonnes of feed, of which 6.5 million tonnes is compound feed and 2.3 million tonnes is straights and co-products. The group has 2500 employees and a turnover of around 6.6 billion euros.

Following the acquisition, Iain Gardner,who was BOCM PAULS chief operating officer, assumed responsibility for its operational management as chief executive. He also joined the ForFarmers Group board.