ISO 14001 SYSTEM CERTIFICATION

Our History

Originally established in 1952 by a group of local farmers, Ulster Farm By-Products Ltd (UFBP) was formed to create a farmer owned and controlled company to process fallen livestock in Northern Ireland.
As part of the Board of Directors' plans to develop the organisation the co-operative was renamed Glenfarm Holdings Limited. The collection, rendering and processing facilities where transferred into a subsidiary limited company and took the co-operative's original name, Ulster Farm By-Products Ltd which is well known to the agri-food sector.
The initial production process commissioned in 1956 was established to process just 50 tonnes per week. There have been many changes and expansions to this processing facility over the last fifty years, with the company's commitment to sector shown with an investment in two state of the art rendering plants; built in 2004, with a capacity to process over 3,600 tonnes per week. The original business was formed to provide an outlet for fallen stock on farms; today UFBP provides a collection and disposal service to the entire food production cycle, maintaining this service of fallen stock collection but with an expanded service to cover abattoir collections, carcase de-boning and retail packaging operations, right through to butchers shops, independent retailers and large supermarkets chains.

Notable events

• 1953 - Establishment of Co-Operative to create competition in NI rendering sector

• 1954 - Purchase of current site at Glenavy

• 1955 - Purchase of first plant for Glenavy site

• 1960’s - Expansion of our capacity from 200 to 500 tons

•1971 - Expansion of raw material intake

•1972 -  New process equipment purchased, including pressure sterilisation installation capacity expansion from 500 tons to 1,300 tons per week

•1980 - New transport fleet purchased with a range of purpose dedicated vehicles

•1984 -  Investment in process equipment to include a ‘wet rendering’ process of pre-heating, pressing and evaporation system

•1988 - Segregation and processing of material in separate categories of offal

•1992 - Installation of new effluent plant at Glenavy site

•1995 - Renaming of co-operative as Glenfarm Holdings Ltd and formation of Ulster Farm By-Products Ltd as wholly owned subsidiary of Glenfarm Holdings Ltd

•1996 - BSE crisis for UK agriculture, UFBP was involved in the Government cull of cattle necessary to relieve the problems

•1999 - Accreditation received under ISO 14001 (first rendering plant in Europe to achieve this award)

•2003 - Investment made in a new plant specifically for processing Category 3 raw material, giving the ability to process all grades of material

•2003 - Acquisition of the operations and plant of the rendering operations of Duncrue Food Processors (DFP)

•2004 -Transfer of the entire plant and machinery of DFP into a purpose built building on Glenavy site, giving a one site solution to all grades of animal by-products

•2005 - £2m investment in Thermal Oxidation to enhance environmental management

•2006 - PPC licence granted

From farming to food production and the retail sector UFBP provides a vital service for Northern Ireland, offering a safe, efficient, and environmentally responsible process to recycle the by-products from our meat production and retail sectors.

 

 


Registration No: Northern Ireland, NI28004. Registration Office: Glenconway House, 31 Ballyvannon Road, Glenavy, Co Antrim, BT29 4QJ