Lancashire pet food firm unveils £80m Ingredients Kitchen and plans for renewable power

GA Pet Food Partners has launched its state-of-the-art Ingredients Kitchen at its site at Plocks Farm, Bretherton, where more than 600 ingredients for its products can be tested, stored and processed.

Alistair Bradley, the Leader of the Chorley Borough Council, unveiled the hi-tech facility and said how impressed he was by GA as a business and its long-term plans for future investment and interaction with the community.

The opening provided an opportunity for contractors, suppliers, and GA colleagues to connect and celebrate the hard work that had gone into building the premises.

Visitors were given an in-depth tour by GA's experts, who provided insights into why the facility was world-leading with features such as automated guided vehicles, laboratories and storage for more than five million kilograms of ingredients.

The company said that the development will ensure that the ingredients that go into each dry pet food recipe are of the highest quality while allowing for full traceability and continue to feed over 750,000 cats and dogs daily.

In addition, to the official opening, GA held an open weekend for more than 750 residents and employee's families to take a tour around the Ingredients Kitchen and also to find out about a Mutual Journey to Net Zero that is set to be achieved by 2050.

As GA looks to introduce plans for Net Zero, residents were asked their opinion on the potential to install a wind turbine and solar farm, called Asland Walks Energy Park, in the vicinity. The company said it would benefit the environment and help residents with energy bills.

Roger Bracewell, chairman of GA Pet Food Partners, said: "I would like to thank everybody who attended the grand opening and the weekend of the Ingredients Kitchen. It was remarkable to see everybody that was part of the designing, construction and commissioning of this process in one place.

"In addition, it was also fantastic the attendance of local residents wanting to explore the Ingredients Kitchen and find out about our Mutual Journey to Net Zero proposal.

"The Ingredients Kitchen was conceived in 2013 and allows us to separate our raw materials from our finished product. Secondly, by separating our raw materials from our extrusion and packing we could be more efficient. Finally, a huge factor is that we can track and trace all the ingredients that go into each bag.”