A new £25m state-of-the-art rapeseed processing plant will be built in Warwickshire, creating in excess of thirty jobs.
The new facility, to be built in Atherstone on Stour near Stratford-upon-Avon, will be operational in the autumn of 2017 to process an annual seed crush of 100,000 tonnes.
It will produce 40,000 tonnes of refined edible rapeseed oil and 60,000 tonnes of high quality rape cake for the animal feed sector.
The business will process 100% UK-grown seed to meet growing demand from UK buyers for a fully traceable supply chain and high quality ingredients for the food industry.
Rapeseed oil consumption continues to grow, fuelled by health-conscious consumers.
It will be the first new large-scale rapeseed plant to be built since the 1980s.
'Milestone'
“This is a milestone in UK oilseed processing,” commented independent commodities trading and supply chain company RCMA Group Chairman Doug King.
“Not only are we adding the first brand-new large-scale rapeseed processing facility in the UK since the 1980s; we have commissioned a highly sustainable approach to processing, reflecting our commitment to a more environmentally-friendly industry.”
The design incorporates a biomass-fuelled Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant enabling RCMA Stratford to be one of the most energy and carbon-efficient producers in the UK, generating its own internal energy requirements from UK forestry residues and offcuts.
Co-locating the business alongside an established grain store, in the heart of the country, reduces the “food miles” associated with transporting its raw materials into the facility and finished products to end customers.
