The Kingfisher Farms egg business, which supplies free range eggs directly to restaurants, pubs and retail outlets, as well as to Yorkshire Farmhouse Eggs, has been put up for sale along with its associated farm and farming operations.
The business is being sold by the Percival family - Giles and Emma Percival, who farm in partnership with Giles’ father. And although Giles says that the current state of the egg industry is not the reason for the sale, he concedes that it may well have influenced the timing of the decision. "We are selling because my father wants to retire. We are going off to do something different," said Giles. When asked whether current difficulties in the egg market had had any bearing on the sale, he said, "They’ve accelerated the decision."
The family have 34,500 free range layers on their farm at Saunders House Farm, Barningham, Richmond in North Yorkshire. Some 2,000 of the birds lay for Kingfisher Farm’s local branded business, which supplies to regular customers in the area. The rest of the eggs go to Yorkshire Farmhouse Eggs, and the contract to supply the company will be transferred to the new owner as part of the sale. The inclusion of an established contract may well be attractive to potential buyers who are finding it difficult to obtain new producer contracts with packers in the current climate.
The fact that there are too many eggs on the market at the moment has resulted in restrictions on new contracts as the industry has tried to bring the egg market back into balance. The opportunity to buy an established egg business with a contract in place is certain to be attractive to anyone who may be looking to either get into the egg industry or add to their existing production ready for when the market picks up again. The egg market may well return to balance by the end of the year, and Giles believes that better times may be about to return. "I think we gave started to see some light at the end of the tunnel," he said.
The whole farm enterprise, which includes farmhouse, two-bedroom farmhouse annexe, stables and a range of farm buildings, as well as the egg operation, which includes four poultry buildings with a 34,500-bird capacity, are on the market along with 18.93 hectares of temporary grass and permanent pasture. They are being sold through George F. White, with the asking price set at £1,700,000.
The schedule drawn up by the agent provides detailed descriptions of all the facilities, including the layer operation.
The first layer shed is described as a fully insulated steel portal frame building under plastic coated steel sheet roof and walls. It has a computer controlled fan ventilation system and can house 8,000 free range hens. There is an equipped egg packing room and the building has a feed conveying system fed from an 18-tonne silo outside. The building covers 836 square metres.
The second building is of similar construction, covers 1,200 square metres and can house 8,400 free range hens. It has a fan-assisted, natural ventilation system and there is an equipped egg packing room. Feed is conveyed from a 16-tonne silo outside the building.
The third shed is constructed of timber under fibre sheet roof. It has a fan assisted natural ventilation system and can house 2,000 free range hens. Once again, there is an equipped egg packing room and feed is delivered by conveyor from a five-tonne silo outside. The building covers 263 square metres.
The fourth and largest poultry building is a converted and extended former cattle building covering 1,449 square metres and capable of housing up to 16,000 layers. The building is of steel portal frame construction with fully insulated walls and roof and a four-bay lean-to on one side. It has a fan-assisted natural ventilation system and an equipped egg packing room. Feed is conveyed to the building from a 21-tonne silo outside. The building also has an egg grading room with grading and packing equipment placing eggs into half-dozen boxes. The four bay lean-to has a small animal incinerator.
The facilities also include a 12-metre egg storage container with chilling equipment and washing facilities, which comprise an open fronted building with a slatted floor over a 50,000 litre effluent tank. There is a 9,000 litre soap tank and 40,000 litre water storage tank, together with an adjacent external concreted area.
There is also a static caravan used as a staff room. It has its own WC.
Saunders House Farm is situated close to the A66, and on the edge of the village of Barningham in North Yorkshire. The property has easy access to major urban centres via the A66, A1(M) and A19. The market towns of Barnard Castle and Richmond are both within close proximity, whilst Darlington is only 20 miles away. The farm is 12 miles away from the A1 at Scotch Corner.
The Percivals moved to the farm in 2004. Although Giles Percival concedes that the current difficulties in the egg market have brought forward the decision to sell, he says that it is his father’s retirement that is the real reason for selling and he believes there is a sound future for Kingfisher Farms when the egg market begins to pick up again for free range producers. The Percivals, themselves, are moving back to the North West from Yorkshire.
