Agricultural Central Trading

What Agricultural Central Trading does

Agricultural Central Trading Ltd. (ACT) is a Shrewsbury-headquartered, farmer-owned agricultural inputs distributor established in 1962, serving beef, dairy, sheep, equine, arable, and mixed farms across England, Wales, and Scotland. Its product portfolio spans animal feeds (compounds, blends, straights, moist and liquid feeds, feedblocks, minerals, supplements), fertilisers (nitrogen, grassland, liquid, lime), crop packaging (silage sheets, clamp covers, vacuum film, net wrap, baler twine), forage seeds and silage additives, dairy hygiene (udder care, milking plant cleaners, bulk tank cleaners, cubicle lime), and fuel/oil products (red diesel, kerosene, AdBlue, lubricants, bunded tanks, additives), sold under both partner brands and ACT's own 'Action' private label. Wholly-owned subsidiaries include Wessex Animal Health (acquired July 2016, online veterinary medicines), ACT Scotland (Turriff), and ACT Forfar.

ACT generates revenue primarily through one-time purchases of physical agricultural inputs by trading-account customers, supplemented by a recurring shareholder trading bonus mechanic that ties shareholder economics to ongoing purchase volume. Distribution is omnichannel: a 40+ strong Area Manager field force provides on-farm technical advice (with FACTS, AMTRA, and BASIS-qualified staff), complemented by a freephone inside-sales line and a Wix-hosted online store offering next-day UK mainland delivery on animal health orders over £85. Marketing leverages major UK agricultural shows (Newport Show, NSA Sheep Event, UK Dairy Day, Welsh Winter Fair, Borderway Agri-Expo, Agriscot, among others), a quarterly Action News newsletter, downloadable technical guides, and active Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn accounts. Competitive positioning rests on cooperative buying power, UFAS/OF&G/FIAS/VMD regulatory credentials, 40-year partnerships with major suppliers (Fuchs Oils/Silkolene, CF Fertilisers, Yara, Norbrook, Zoetis), and bundled agronomy via Agrovista Ltd.

Name

Agricultural Central Trading

Legal name

Agricultural Central Trading Ltd.

Website

https://actwessex.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1962

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Agricultural Central Trading (ACT) is a UK farmer-owned agricultural inputs distributor, established 1962 and headquartered in Shrewsbury, supplying feeds, fertilisers, animal health, crop packaging, dairy hygiene, and fuel to livestock and arable farmers across England, Wales, and Scotland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Inputs Distribution

NAICS

Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers (424910), Other Farm Product Raw Material Merchant Wholesalers (424590)

SIC

Wholesale-Farm Product Raw Materials (5150), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Grain Handling & Farmgate Services (Retailer/Co-op Adjacent) (AFABAJAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Agronomy Advisory & Field Services (Retailer-Affiliated) (AFABAJAH), Livestock & Pasture Supply Retail (Feed Supplements, Animal Health Inputs) (AFABAJAJ), Agriculture Inputs & Farm Supply Marketplaces (CRAFAHAL)

Keywords

• Agricultural inputs supply
• Animal feed distribution
• Fertilizer supply services
• Farm equipment supply
• Agricultural cooperative

Headquarters

HQ city

Shrewsbury

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Agricultural Input Sales: ACT generates revenue through selling a wide range of agricultural inputs including animal feeds, fertilisers, animal health products, fuel, crop packaging, and farming equipment. Products are sold under both branded labels and their own 'Action' label.
2. Trading Account Revenue: Farmers open trading accounts to purchase products. Shareholders benefit from a trading bonus based on their purchases from ACT.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Agricultural Central Trading (ACT) is a farmer-owned cooperative that distributes agricultural inputs to UK farmers. Its product range covers compound animal feeds, fertilizers, animal health products, fuel, crop packaging, silage additives and farming equipment, sourced through partnerships with leading manufacturers and delivered via a nationwide network of more than 40 Area Managers and regional offices in Shrewsbury, Wessex, Scotland and Forfar.

Product overview

Agricultural Central Trading (ACT) Ltd. is a farmer-owned company established in 1962, supplying essential farm inputs throughout England, Wales and Scotland. The company operates primarily as a physical goods supplier rather than a software platform. Its core offerings include animal health products (wormers, vaccines, veterinary supplies) sold through both an online store and area managers; a comprehensive feeds division covering compound feed, blended feed, straight feed, moist feed, liquid feed, feedblocks, and nutritional supplements under the Action brand; fertilisers including nitrogen, grassland, liquid, and lime products; forage products including seeds, silage additives (Silo Action, Coolsile Plus), and crop protection services; crop packaging including silage sheets (Passion Yellow, Passion Supreme), clamp covers, net wrap, and baler twine; dairy supplies including udder care, milking plant hygiene, and bulk tank cleaners; and fuel/oil products including fuel, tanks, additives, AdBlue, and lubricants. The company leverages considerable buying power to pass savings onto farmers through both branded products and its own Action label.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Action: ACT's own label brand for farm inputs including Action Feeds, Action Feedblocks, Action Minerals, Action Calf Milk Replacers, and Action Dairy products.
• ACTOLICKS
• Sweet-Grass
• Silo Action

Products and services

• Action Compound Feeds

Quantifiable outcome

• Provides millions of pounds worth of essential inputs annually to UK farmers
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CF FertiliserscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorACT is a significant supplier and distributor of CF Fertilisers products including Nitram (34.5% AN). This is a major partnership for nitrogen fertiliser supply across the UK.
• YaracoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorACT distributes Yara fertilisers enabling a complete range of products to cover most cropping requirements.
• Origin FertilisersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorACT supplies Origin Fertilisers products as part of their comprehensive fertiliser offering.
• Diamond FertilisersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorACT distributes Diamond Fertilisers products.
• Fuchs Oils (Silkolene)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner40-year partnership with Fuchs Oils working from their Silkolene production plant in Stoke. ACT offers the Agrifarm branded range of lubrication products, the largest worldwide independent lubrication specialist.
• Agrovista LtdminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn most of the UK, ACT works alongside Agrovista Ltd whose staff offer comprehensive agronomy and field walking service and supply package to ACT customers.
• Tuffa TanksminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorACT has excellent relations with Tuffa Tanks for supply of rotationally moulded plastic bunded tanks for heating fuel or refuelling stations.
• ZoetisminorGTM or Marketing PartnerZoetis provides content for ACT's blog on equine worming best practices, with Zoetis Technical Team providing support information.
• NorbrookminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorACT supplies Norbrook products including Solantel Pour-On flukicide.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Mole Valley Farmers: UK farmer-owned cooperative supplying feeds, fertilisers, animal health and farm inputs — the closest structural and operational analogue to ACT with similar cooperative ownership and multi-category farm supply model.
• Wynnstay Group: UK-listed agricultural supplies group serving arable and livestock farmers across Wales, Shropshire and surrounding regions with feeds, fertilisers and crop inputs — directly overlaps ACT's core geography and product mix.
• Agrovista UK: UK agronomy specialist and crop inputs distributor — ACT explicitly partners with Agrovista in most of the UK for agronomy and field walking services, making it a directly comparable distribution and advisory peer.
• Harbro: Scottish-based livestock feed manufacturer and farm supply distributor — comparable product range (compound feeds, blends, minerals, animal health) with strong overlap in ACT's Scotland region.
• NWF Group: UK agricultural and fuel distribution group covering feeds and fuel — overlaps ACT's feed and fuel/oil categories with similar farmer customer base across Northern England.
• Countrywide Farmers: UK rural retailer and farm supplies chain offering feeds, animal health, workwear and equipment — comparable multi-category distribution with overlapping farmer and rural customer segments.

Broad incumbents

• ForFarmers: European animal feed manufacturer and supplier operating across the UK — comparable feed category but operates at significantly larger scale and with vertically integrated feed mill assets rather than cooperative distribution.
• Cargill Animal Nutrition: Global agricultural inputs and animal nutrition supplier — overlaps ACT in compound feeds and farm inputs but at vastly larger scale and with global sourcing/manufacturing capability.
• Yara UK: Global fertiliser manufacturer — direct supplier partner to ACT (Yara fertilisers) and broader competitor in fertiliser category, but operating as upstream manufacturer rather than farm-gate distributor.

Emerging players

• Farmstar: UK online agricultural supplies retailer with direct-to-farm delivery — represents the digital-native emerging model that competes with ACT's e-commerce ambitions in animal health and farm inputs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses2 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/actfarmsupplies
• Facebookfacebook.com/actwessex
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/agricultural-central-trading-limited
• Instagraminstagram.com/act_wessex

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Agricultural Central Trading