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BOCM Pauls
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| Why BOCM Pauls? BOCM Pauls manufacture more animal feed than any other company in the UK [1]. This means they probably use more genetically modified (GM) crop material than any other company in the country. The company controls over a quarter of the UK manufactured animal feed market[1]. Globally, over half of GM crop material goes into animal feed[2]. So animal feed is an essential market for GM products. Agri-biotech companies like AgrEvo and Monsanto depend on animal feed companies for their profits. This briefing is a guide for activists and campaigners. It profiles the company and gives site locations, with function where possible. It also names key people within the company. It is one of a series of briefings in animal feed and genetic engineering (details on back page). What is BOCM Pauls? |
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| Who owns BOCM Pauls? BOCM Pauls is wholly owned by its managers. They bought the company in November 1998 for £69m. They borrowed the money from Electra Fleming, the private equity group and Rabobank International, the biggest agricultural bank in Europe [1]. Electra Fleming 65 Kingsway, London, WC2. Tel 0171 831 6464 Rabobank Nederland 108 Cannon Street, London, EC4/WC4 Tel 0171 280 3000 (main switchboard) Tel 0171 283 5222 (corporates) Subsidiaries of BOCM Pauls: Unitrition International Ltd BOCM Silcock Ltd. Pauls Agriculture Ltd. Daisy Hill Pigs (M B F) Ltd. City Plumbing Supplies (Southampton) Ltd [3]. |
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| BOCM's position on GM BOCM Pauls uses GM ingredients in most of its products. The most commonly used are soya and maize, though they also use others such as oil seed rape meal. They also use GM micro ingredients, such as vitamin B12 and amino acids [7]. According to their policy statement on GMOs: "BOCM Pauls will not take any action regarding the general area of GM materials which would place its own customers and the UK livestock industry at an economic disadvantage relative to competition from abroad". It also believes that the segregation of GM crops cannot be guaranteed through the whole supply chain and that a convention needs to be developed which will define a threshold for “GMO-free” material, ie an acceptable level of GM contamination, linked to limits of detection. According to the company, the technology currently exists to detect 1% contamination, but no lower [note: many supermarkets claim to be able to detect contamination over 0.1%]. This effectively means that they want a legal definition of GM free that allows them to continue to include some GM ingredients! The company says that for these reasons it is not currently possible to underwrite a GM-free guarantee although limited amounts of identity preserved (ie segregated non-GM) material can be supplied from non-GM origins. It claims that as far as can be determined at present it will remain difficult to supply sufficient raw material for large-scale production. The policy statement continues: “BOCM Pauls is exploring the opportunities to increase the availability of “Non GMO” material, and Unitrition, with its own specialist crushing plant at Selby [the same one listed as a possible crushing facility for GM crops mentioned above], is already producing niche quantities of Non GMO feed.” As there are additional costs at each stage of supply, shipment and production, any non GM feed will be more expensive than BOCM's GM contaminated feed. The company believes that processed GM crop material is effectively non-GM because the inserted GM material has been ‘lost’ during processing. This is an argument peddled by the agri-biotech industry to allay the fears of consumers. It is strongly contested by many scientists on the grounds that even if DNA is no longer detectable after processing, there might still be health risks. In its defence of its use of GM ingredients, BOCM reassures us that the company uses only ingredients containing GM material which have been given clearance through the official regulatory process [8]. These regulations are deliberately lax so as to allow for easy approval and consequently give no guarantee of safety. |
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| BOCM Pauls and BSE BOCM Pauls are giving evidence to the BSE inquiry. The company has admitted that it produced cattle feed containing meat and bone meal from other cattle. This is thought to be the mechanism by which BSE was transmitted through herds - and thence to humans. Peter Sanderson, quality assurance manager (see ‘Other Key People’) is giving evidence on the company’s behalf [9]. Some of BOCM Pauls' Products Startercare Creep Feeds for piglets. Heritage and Advantage ranges for cattle. Enhancer specialist feeds. Specific brands in the Heritage and Advantage ranges include Challenger, Gold, Red Label, Millenium, Platinum and Classic [1]. Head Office 47 Key Street, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP4 1BX Tel 01473 232222 Fax 01473 230509 Financial Details Turnover - £525 million in 1997 Pre-Tax Loss £80 million in 1997 [1] Employees 1,627 at end of 1997 [1] Key Personnel - Directors William (Bill) Mayne - Chief Executive Anthony (Tony) Bell - Raw Materials Director George Paul - Non Executive Chairman Robert (Bob) Armstrong - Cattle Director Trevor Barber - Financial Controller Jonathan Farnhill - Pig Production Director John (Mike) Home - Operations Director George (James) Powell - Finance Director Peter Rollings - Pig & Poultry Director Michael (Mike) Shaughnessy - Personnel Director David Symondson - Non Executive Director Other Key People Peter Sanderson, quality assurance manager, has responsibility for all issues relating to product safety. Is giving evidence to the BSE inquiry for BOCM Pauls. Bruce Woodacre, ruminants (sheep and cattle feed) manager. Mark Buckle, Partnership Group Manager. Head of a specialist team which provides feed and other farm services to farmers who supply Tesco with livestock products. The following are BOCM Pauls sites unless otherwise stated. For more information about what mills do and differences between different types of feed, see the briefing 'Introduction and Strategic Overview', details back page. |
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| Where is BOCM Pauls? England - North West Penrith Industrial Estate, Penrith, Cumbria, CA11 9EH Tel 01768 862064 (regional sales manager) / 866788 (sales orders) Fax 01768 863550 Mill producing cattle feeds Manager Bob Murphy Dwan Mill, 141 Brierley Rd, Walton Summit Centre, Bamber Bridge, Preston, Lancashire, PR5 8AH Tel 01772 695200 Fax 01772 695255 Mill producing pig and poultry feeds England - North East BOCM Silcock Ltd, Chilton Industrial Estate, Chilton, Ferryhill, Co Durham, DL17 0PF Tel 01388 720855 Fax 01388 721783 Mill producing cattle feed England - North Burstwick, Nr. Hull, Humberside, HU12 9HE Tel 01757 244000 Mill producing pig feed only. Produce 100,000 tonnes a year. Acting Operations Manager, Steve Shaw. Unitrition International Ltd P.O. Box 2, Olympia Mills, Barlby Road, Selby, North Yorks, YO8 7AF Tel 01757 244000 Fax 01757 244077 Mill producing pig and poultry feeds. Produce 220,000 tonnes a year. Site Manager Barry Raymond England - West Midlands Speedwell Road, Park House Industrial Estate (East), Newcastle-Under-Lyme, Staffs, ST5 7RF Tel 01782 565565 Fax 01782 564609 Mill producing cattle feed Manager Eugene Carey New Building, Barhill Farm, Tushingham, Whitchurch, Shropshire, SY13 4QU Tel 01948 820297 Fax 01948 820274 Farm and test site for new feeds. England - East Midlands Lindum Mill, Ashby Road, Shepshed, Loughborough, Leics, LE12 9BS Tel 01509 501801 Fax 01509 501800 Mill producing pig and poultry feed Managers Kevin Straw & John Kettle England - East Anglia Head Office: 47 Key Street, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP4 1BX Tel 01473 232222 Fax 01473 230509 William Mayne - Managing Director John Cessford - Marketing Manager The Airfield, Rougham Ind Est, Rougham, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP30 9NH Tel 01359 270566 272920 Fax 01359 271043 Mill producing poultry feed. Operations Manager - Steve Sale Barkers Mill, Rightup Lane, Wymondham, Norfolk, NR18 9ND Tel 01953 609250 Fax 01953 609260 Mill producing creep feed for piglets Site Manager Martin Bates South East Head Office, Tucks Mill, Burston, Diss, Norfolk, IP22 3TL Tel 01379 742001 Fax 01379 742035 Mill producing pig and poultry feeds. Operations manager Barry Harrison. England - South West Mill Road, Radstock, Bath, Avon, BA3 5TT Tel 01761 438000 Fax 01761 434501 Customer Services 01761 435335 Mill producing pig and poultry feeds. 1st Avenue, Royal Portbury Dock, Portbury Mill, Portbury, Bristol, BS20 9XS Tel 01275 378350 373864 Fax 01275 373828 Customer Services 0345 660530 Mill producing dairy and beef cattle and sheep feeds. Fish Feed Group, Broadway, Chilcompton, Bath, Avon, BA3 4JW Tel 01761 233371 Blandford Heights Ind Est, Blandford Heights, Blandford Forum, Dorset, DT11 7TL Tel 01258 454126 Fax 01258 456805 / 456808 Mill producing cattle and sheep feeds. Site manager - Des Purse Sowton Industrial Estate, Kestrel Way, Exeter, EX2 7LN Tel 01392 250241 Fax 01392 250756 01392 250251 Mill producing cattle feed Site Manager - Keith Beetlestone Lord Meadow Mill, Commercial Road, Crediton, Devon, EX17 1ER Tel 01363 773451 Fax 01363 775379 Mill producing pig products Industrial Estate, Water-ma-Trout, Helston, Cornwall, TR13 0LW Tel 01326 572345 / 572346 Fax 01326 572425 Not a mill - function not known. England - South East Country Mill, Mill Lane, Alton, Hampshire, GU34 2QS Tel 01420 541212 593100 Customer Services 01420 243861 Fax 01420 541168 Mill producing Compound Pig and poultry feed. Operations manager Mike Whiting. Direct line 01420 593120 Scotland New Luce Road, Castle Kennedy, Stranraer, Wigtownshire, DG9 1XX. Tel 01776 702444 Office Animal Feed Group, Renfrew Mill, Wright Street, Renfrew, Strathclyde, PA4 8AH. Tel 0141 8426500 Fax 0141 8426503 Mill shared with Trouw Aquaculture (see 'Other major Animal Feeds Manufacturers' briefing, details below) producing animal and fish feed. Site Manager BOCM Pauls (animal feed) Peter Martin Site Manager Trouw Aquaculture (fish feed) David Lewin Wales Unit 30 Crosshands Industrial Estate, Llanelli, Dyfed, SA14 6RB Tel 01269 845445 BOCM Pauls 'Cash & Carry'. BOCM Silcock Ltd Cillefwr Industrial Estate, Johnstown, Carmarthen, Dyfed, SA31 3RD Tel 01267 239507 (office) 234901 (orders) Fax 01267 238511 Mill producing cattle, turkey and chicken feeds. Site Manager - Graham Wreith Gwalchmai Stores, Holyhead, Gwynedd, LL65 4PS Tel 01407 720616 Rhyl Road, Colomendy Industrial Estate, Denbigh, Clwyd, LL16 5TA Tel 01745 818300 816391 Fax 01745 818319 Mill producing cattle and sheep feed Site Manager - Neil Thompson 4 Porthycarne St, Usk, Gwent, NP5 1RY Tel 01291 672053 Warehouse, presumably storing feeds before distribution, but exact function not known. |
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| Footnotes 1. Key Notes Report. Animal Feedingstuffs 1999. Key Note Ltd 2. Conversations with MAFF and UKASTA July-September 1999 3. Who owns Whom 1999. Dun and Bradstreet 4. UKASTA website. www.ukasta.org.uk 5. company website www.bocmpauls.co.uk 6. Farming News 20/02/98 P3 7. Conversation with company August 1999 8. Company Policy Statement on Genetically Modified Organisms 9. www.bse.org.uk/witness/htm/stat028.htm. The BSE Inquiry Statement No 28. Peter Sanderson has given evidence on days 17 and 62 of the BSE inquiry. |
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| Corporate Watch is a research and publishing group whose aim is to support activism against large corporations. Copies of these briefings can be obtained by sending an A4 SAE (45p postage) to: Corporate Watch 16b Cherwell Road, Oxford OX4 1BG Tel/Fax +44 (0)1865 791391 mail@corporatewatch.org |
