CAREER OPPORTUNITIES IN THE ALLIED TRADES AND PROFESSIONS
FIND A MENTOR

NUTRITION

The feed industry is an essential part of the agricultural supply sector. It covers a wide range of activities and offers numerous opportunities for talented people with an interest or background in agriculture and the potential to develop their careers in the supply industry.

The feed sector supplies a range of customers including major food producers supplying the big supermarkets, large scale farming businesses, family farms right through to smallholders who might have a few pigs or chickens.

Opportunities exist in sales, raw material sourcing and purchasing, formulation, technical support and new product development, marketing, manufacturing, logistics and the central functions such as finance and humand resources.

Many companies that are based in the United Kingdom have an involvement in international markets as well as supplying their domestic customer base.

Providing nutrition to professional livestock producers requires resourceful and resilient people who can work well in a team. The range of products manufactured or sourced and then sold to customers includes compound feeds, premixes, concentrates, minerals, straights and an increasing range of co-products from the human food, drinks and biofuels industries.

New product development and innovation in all aspects of the business are essential to ensure we help our customers develop long term, sustainable and profitable businesses.

Sales people will learn how to build long-term relationships with their customers, by understanding and meeting their needs. They provide detailed technical support to their customers to optimise physical and financial performance.

Operations colleagues have to manufacture a range of quality products using computerised process technology. They also have to maintain complex and expensive machinery and manage large transport fleets. They have to meet rigorous production standards, be responsive to customers' needs and comply with demanding health and safety requirements and environmental performance measures.

The raw material teams are responsible for buying ingredients which range from a few kilograms of key nutrients, to thousands of tonnes of cereals. Raw materials are the biggest single cost to feed businesses and detailed knowledge of these materials and their availability, combined with a thorough understanding of the key markets, is absolutely critical to the business.

To be considered for a role in the feed industry, candidates are likely to be:

• A graduate in Agriculture, Business, Engineering, Science or a related discipline or have relevant experience in an appropriate business sector.
  
  
• Willing and able to acquire skills in the discipline and establish positive relationships with colleagues, customers and suppliers.
  
  
• Hold a full, clean driving licence.

Training and subsequent career development could take you anywhere in the United Kingdom, and so potential candidates should be willing to move around the country to further their careers. In return, the feed industry can offer a rewarding and satisfying career as part of a world class food and agricultural supply chain.

The need for an efficient and sustainable agricultural sector and the requirement to minimise the environmental impact of food production and distribution are also becoming major political issues, so it is an exciting time to join the industry.

To read more about some of the roles and opportunities that are available in the feed industry with profiles of three managers within one feed major business who have progressed during their careers to management positions with high levels of responsibility, click on the following link: www.bocmpauls.co.uk/bocm-pauls-careers

For more information about the nutrition companies, visit any of the websites below.