Graig Farm Producers Ltd
Goviley Felyn
Goveiley Vean Farm
Tregony
Truro
Cornwall
TR2 5TR
01872 530362
liz@gpsouthwest.co.uk
Graig Producers Wales, The Borders & South West England.
Organic Farmers Working Together
Royal Support For Group Marketing
It is now 10 years since Graig Producers was formalised into a separate entity from Graig Farm Organics (the brand). Since then we have moved from a small group of 20-30 farmers supplying the brand, to a 350 members strong independent Marketing Group, covering Wales, The Borders, the West Country and Scotland. We are now a major organic livestock supplier to the UK supermarkets and able to have a positive impact on the market, on behalf of our farming members.
The model we have established has come to the attention of HRH The Prince of Wales, who has kindly sent us a letter on our 10th Anniversary. This is the text of the letter:
“I did just want to write and congratulate you and the members of Graig Farm Producers on reaching your tenth anniversary. You have been pioneers in collaborative organic marketing for beef and sheep and I have watched your development over the last decade with considerable admiration. Today, it is being increasingly understood that to succeed in farming it is essential to add value to products, to collaborate more closely and to market better. Graig Farm Producers has achieved all this while reducing costs and improving management. Above all, you have seen that farmers can find greater safety in numbers and are in a far better position to negotiate with the retailers as a group than as individuals.
It is little wonder that you have spread from Wales into the South West and now Scotland, and I do congratulate you and all your members on your first ten years and send you my warmest good wishes for an equally successful second decade”.
This is a vote of thanks to all our members who have stuck fast to the idea of collavorative marketing/ We hope that we have enabled your individual voices to be heard in the rough and tumble of the organic meat market, and that the sector as a whole is better as a result of our collective efforts.
WHY JOIN GRAIG PRODUCERS?
THE INDEPENDENCE
# Being Independent, we find the best market for members, and represent their interests in the market place.
THE EXPERIENCE
# A successful, dedicated organic group, with over 10 years experience in organic livestock marketing to the multiple retail sector;
# God relationships and access to all main organic & meat orginisations;
THE MARKETING
# Market for finished beef, finished lamb, cull ewes, cull cows, store lambs & store beef.
# The proven negotiating power of organic livestock farmers;
# The option to market to several buyers;
# Access through the group to the processors and supermarkets – the “joined up food chain;
# Local Staff
THE MONEY
# Low annual membership & procurement fees
# Low-cost bad debt insurance on slaughter stock
# An annual profit-share based on throughput
# Discounted farming inputs through bulk-buying;
# Monitoring of farm profitability & benchmarking
THE FARMING
# Local Groups for meetings, farm walks etc.
# Farming connections between the Westcountry, Wales & Bordfers & Scotland;
# A dedicated website & regular newsletter.
SPECIAL MEMBERSHIPS
We have special ‘Dairy’ and ‘In-Conversion’ membership packages.
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HISTORY
Graig Farm is a pioneer of organic meats since 1988 and is based on the Welsh Borders. Graig Farm Producers has operated in Wales and the Borders for over 10 years, with over 240 members, mostly family farms. It is a dedicated independent organic livestock marketing Group. Graig Farm Producers South West covers the West Country and was started in 2006.
PURPOSE
The main purpose of Graig Farm producers is simply to keep organic farmers on the land by ensuring financial viability. This is done by:
- Increasing farm income by collaborative marketing to the supermarkets and other large buyers: (we have a policy of “Local First” which enables members to supply their own local markets before supplying the Group): seeking new markets.
- Decreasing farm costs by bulk buying of inputs and services.
- Enabling improved management through financial & management benchmarking, monitoring profitability, technical information, etc
- Bringing stability and structure into the organic beef and sheep market to enable efficient and profitable movements of store animals through more predictable pricing.
- Influencing the broader organic livestock and meat market in our members’ interests.
ADDING VALUE TO THE FOOD CHAIN
Graig Farm Producers aims to improve the efficiency of fatsstock marketing to the multiple retail sector by ensuring optimum quality and continuity of supply. Our record in Wales and the Borders shows this can best be done through a dedicated organic Producer Group. Moving of store stock to specialist finishers is one example of this.
THE NATIONAL PICTURE
Efficient livestock production and marketing requires a “joined-up” approach. This includes
- Geographically – We have good connections across the UK organic meat sector: we market livestock from Scotland’s Caledonian Organics: we work closely with the main certifying bodies and research organisations.
- Within the food-chain, not only do we have good working relations with the processors but we also meet regularly with the main supermarkets.
- Large volumes talk! – Influence in the market and efficient operating depends on marketing large volumes.
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