Yorkshire Farmers Livestock Marketing

Howard Cross, managing director of Yorkshire Farmers Livestock Marketing, dedicated the NPA Allied Member of the Year Award to Graham Cross, who died earlier this year.

This award is unique as the winner, from a shortlist of companies nominated by NPA after consultation with members, is voted on by NPA members and Pig World readers in an online poll.

“We are very grateful to the members and the readers of the NPA and Pig World for voting for us,” Howard said.

“It’s really good to see that by winning the award we have gained the recognition of the industry at large – an industry in which we are proud to work.   

“We were very sad to lose our colleague Graham Cross in September. He was a valued member of our team for 20 years and he would have been equally delighted at winning this award.”  

Based in Malton, North Yorkshire, the company has been involved in livestock marketing and processing for over 85 years and is now one of the UK’s leading farmer-owned businesses.

Its primary aim has always been to get the best return for stock for its trading members and it plays an active role in promoting British meat products to the end customer. It also offers a range of other services, including advice on issues such as partial restocks, destocks, genetics, feed, buildings and budgeting.

The business runs bed and breakfast contract pig rearing units, which benefit from its in-house team of fieldsmen and administration staff. A large scale buyer of weaner pigs, it matches this supply with the individual requirements of finished pig
producers for ‘healthy stock able to satisfy a wide range of contract specifications’. 

“Our business is committed to investing in people to provide continuity of our services to all stakeholders,” Howard said. “We feel that the UK pig industry will rise to the considerable challenge of generating a secure marketplace for UK produced pigmeat against a background of sustainability.”

Facing the challenges posed by COVID-19 and our departure from the EU, he said the company’s role was to ‘ensure that we are effective at keeping our member’s businesses operating by effective marketing, ensuring finished pigs are sent to slaughter and member’s cash flows are maintained’. 

“In the longer term, we will have to be innovative to stay ahead of the game in order to look after the business needs of our stakeholders,” he said.