An animal feed firm is celebrating a move to new premises.

East Anglian Daily Times: The official opening of Horizon House at Rougham Industrial Estate, Bury St Edmunds, in May 2017. Pictured are ForFarmers' chief operating officer Iain Gardner, left, and chief executive Yoram Knoop, right.The official opening of Horizon House at Rougham Industrial Estate, Bury St Edmunds, in May 2017. Pictured are ForFarmers' chief operating officer Iain Gardner, left, and chief executive Yoram Knoop, right. (Image: ForFarmers)

ForFarmers moved its UK headquarters from Ipswich to one of its feed mill sites at Bury St Edmunds in May. It employs around 80 staff at the new site.

The new building, next to one of its feed mills off the A14 at Rougham Industrial Estate, was opened by Yoram Knoop, group chief executive of the Dutch-owned firm, during a visit by the executive board.

The investment in the new central office, named Horizon House after the company’s Horizon 2020 strategy, reflects its vision to be the leading livestock nutrition company in Europe, it said.

It brings together staff from three former sites across East Anglia, with financial, technical, IT and customer support functions brought under one roof,

East Anglian Daily Times: Horizon House at Rougham Industrial Estate, Bury St Edmunds, the new UK headquarters for ForFarmers, which was officially opening in May 2017 by ForFarmers chief executive Yoram Knoop, pictured cutting the ribbon, with chief operating officer Iain Gardner holding it.Horizon House at Rougham Industrial Estate, Bury St Edmunds, the new UK headquarters for ForFarmers, which was officially opening in May 2017 by ForFarmers chief executive Yoram Knoop, pictured cutting the ribbon, with chief operating officer Iain Gardner holding it. (Image: ForFarmers)

The firm said the move was aimed at improving the working environment to better support the company’s customers and UK agriculture.

“By moving the three East Anglian sites to the new central office on the A14 corridor, ForFarmers underpins its close links and history with Suffolk and reaffirms the company’s position as an important employer and growing business in the eastern region,” it said.

Iain Gardner, chie operating officer at ForFarmers UK, said: “The new Horizon House is a reflection of our ambition in the United Kingdom.

“By bringing together our support departments we can serve our customers even better.

“In addition to the advice and support that we offer our customers at the farm itself, we now have all the facilities to further give substance to our aim to working side by side with our farmer customers to help them generate better and sustainable returns on their farmers for generations to come.

“This is what we stand for.”

The building has been fitted with PV solar panels providing 25% of the building’s energy, electric car charging points and air source heat pumps.

In 2016, ForFarmers, which has 2,273 employees and production facilities in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and the UK, made about 2.1bn euros (£1.9bn).

Feed firm BOCM Pauls, based in Ipswich, was bought by the Lochem-based company in 2012 and was rebranded to ForFarmers in 2014.