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Tynegrain sows seeds of success
Scores of North East farmers will reap the rewards of a new grain drying facility which is opening up valuable new markets for their crops.
The Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) has invested £135,000 into South Shields-based Tynegrain Ltd - a farmer owned co-operative storage, processing and marketing facility with 114 members in the region and a 75,000 tonne capacity.
One new grain dryer has already been installed which will increase the drying capacity with another to be installed after the harvest. This has already allowed Tynegrain to enter into supply agreements via its marketing agent Grainco Ltd with large branded food businesses which it had not been able to do before.
A new intake pit will also speed up intake at harvest time, while one full time post will be created instead of the seasonal worker currently employed.
These improvements mean that a large number of farmers in the region who are working together co-operatively to improve the performance of their own business will reap the rewards sooner rather than later.
Tynegrain had reached its maximum capacity prior to the RDPE investment so new members will now be able to join the co-operative providing further benefits across the region.
Adrian Sherwood, RDPE Manager at One North East, said: “The North East will benefit from further development of a large co-operative grain store to the highest standard which is ideally situated, supplying both regional and nearby Scottish processing customers as well as ongoing exporting from the Tyne.
“Increased speed and flexibility of the grain drying will reduce energy consumption and its carbon footprint while members will be provided with a more streamlined service bringing with it improved financial returns.”
Tynegrain was established in 1983 and has invested £1.3m in its storage infrastructure in the last year. RDPE funding will allow the business to complete the final phase of this development strategy and position it as one of the premier central storage and marketing facilities in the UK.
Charles Beaumont, chairman of Tynegrain, said: “North East farmers will benefit from this funding as it will allow us to progress our own investment immediately and allow us to capture new markets, improve service and move forward with confidence in these difficult times for farmers in the region.
“With the changing local market dynamics it means Tynegrain is now in a position to compete as a supplier to the higher end of the domestic food market as well as its traditional feed export outlets.”
Fourteen members of Tynegrain also recently accessed RDPE funding to take a study trip to Germany. The visit aimed to increase their knowledge of European Co-operatives and learning from their business practice, as well as to gain a technical insight into future plant breeding.
The trip was funded by Land Skills North East which provides training for those employed in the North East's arable, livestock and forestry industries and was facilitated by the English Food & Farming Partnership.
The Rural Development Programme for England 2007-2013 is jointly funded by Defra and the European Union, with the aim of delivering targeted support to rural businesses and communities. It is managed in North East England by One North East, Natural England and the Forestry Commission.
The RDPE investment being managed by One North East combines larger projects to help many businesses in different sectors of the rural economy - including bioenergy and land-based skills, and projects adding value to agricultural and forestry products - with smaller investments to help individual businesses to start-up, grow or diversify, and support to develop more sustainable rural communities.
RDPE is part of Solutions for Business, the Government’s package of publicly funded support products offering help to companies to start, grow and succeed. Solutions for Business makes it easier for businesses to get the advice and assistance that they need.
‘For further information on the full package of support, visit www.businesslink.gov.uk/northeast.or call Tel: 0845 600 9006.
For more information on RDPE in North East England, visit: www.rdpenortheast.co.uk
For more information on RDPE, visit:
http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/rurdev/index_en.htm
http://www.defra.gov.uk/rural/rdpe/index.htm
Ends.
For further information contact Alison Laggan, One North East press office, on Tel: 0191 229 6613; or email alison.laggan@onenortheast.co.uk
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