Framlingham FarmersĀ¹ and Atlas AgricultureĀ² have announced that they are seeking to combine their business interests. It is anticipated that the new organisation will be in place by 1st July 2008 and have a combined turnover of almost Ā£100 million, representing almost 1,000 Members farming in excess of 550,000 acres.
Robert Rous (Chairman of Framlingham Farmers) and David Reynolds (Chairman of Atlas Agriculture) say that through working together within Saturn AgricultureĀ³ the two companies have developed a close relationship. They believe that the time is right for the two businesses to merge and point out that the proposed development will create a farmer-owned business that has greater influence in the marketplace and is better positioned to serve its Members.
Established in 1960, Framlingham Farmers (www.framfarmers.co.uk) currently purchases agricultural inputs worth approximately Ā£70 million annually on behalf of 700 Members, who farm more than 300,000 acres and keep 25,000 dairy cows in East Anglia, the South East, North West and South West of England. The company, which also has a specialist Marketing Department handling 180,000 tonnes of Members' grain annually, is based at Framlingham in Suffolk.