South West Lancashire Farmers

What South West Lancashire Farmers does

South West Lancashire Farmers (SWLF) is a farmer-owned and controlled agricultural merchants cooperative established in 1921 and headquartered at Blaguegate Lane, Skelmersdale, Lancashire. The company supplies animal feeds, fertilisers, seeds and other farm requisites across Lancashire, Cumbria, the North Midlands, Wales and Scotland, and also undertakes grain trading from its Skelmersdale office. Its core commercial activity is the manufacture and distribution of compound and coarse animal feeds — covering cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry and goats — produced to UFAS quality standards in its own mills, alongside a proprietary feed range marketed under the SWLF and Pro-Mix sub-brands (including specialist lines such as Pro-Mix Show Bull and Pro-Mix Texel).

SWLF operates a hybrid distribution model: direct farm delivery of bulk and bagged feeds to agricultural customers across its regional footprint, a physical Country Store in Skelmersdale retailing pet food, equestrian supplies, country clothing, footwear and household products, and online Click & Collect via the BATA Group platform at bataltd.co.uk. The company accesses a broader feed supplier network through its partnership with the BATA Group, and offers agricultural inputs including fertilisers (with FACTS-qualified technical support), grass seed (including own-brand SWLF Grass Seed), fencing, livestock equipment, animal health products, mineral blocks, netwrap and silage products. Grain trading — bulk wheat, barley and oats from assured and non-assured suppliers — is operated alongside the feed business.

The business serves four primary customer segments: commercial farmers (the primary segment), equestrian and horse owners, pet owners, and country lifestyle consumers. Revenue is generated through one-time product sales across feeds, agricultural supplies, country store retail, and grain trading transactions; pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The company maintains an active recruitment channel and a Facebook and email newsletter presence, but has no disclosed external investment, public listing, or subsidiaries, operating as a private cooperative under member-customer ownership.

Name

South West Lancashire Farmers

Legal name

South West Lancashire Farmers

Website

https://swlf.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1921

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

South West Lancashire Farmers is a farmer-owned agricultural merchants cooperative, established 1921, that manufactures and distributes animal feeds, fertilisers, seeds and farm requisites across northern and western UK, while also trading grain and operating a Skelmersdale Country Store.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Animal Feed Manufacturing and Agricultural Supplies

NAICS

Livestock Merchant Wholesalers (42452), Grain and Field Bean Merchant Wholesalers (424510), Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers (42491)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700), Wholesale-Farm Product Raw Materials (5150), Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140)

akta.pro primary industry

Livestock Complete Feed Milling & Blending (Cattle/Swine/Poultry) (AFADAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Performance & Health Outcome Consulting (growth, FCR, milk yield, gut health) (AFADAMAG), Textured/Sweet Feed Blending (Molasses-Based) (AFADAIAE), Livestock & Pasture Supply Retail (Feed Supplements, Animal Health Inputs) (AFABAJAJ)

Keywords

• Animal feed manufacturing
• Agricultural supplies
• Livestock nutrition
• Farm requisites
• Country store retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Skelmersdale

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Animal Feed Sales: Sale of compound feeds, coarse feeds, and specialty feeds for cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry and goats. Available in bagged or bulk formats. Includes their own SWLF branded feeds and access to BATA Group supplier network.
2. Agricultural Supplies: Sale of agricultural products including fertilisers, seed, stretch wrap, sheeting, twine, wormers, dairy hygiene supplies, fencing materials, livestock equipment, mineral blocks and buckets.
3. Country Store Retail: Retail sales of pet feeds, equestrian supplies, country clothing, footwear, household products, garden products, bird feed and accessories from their physical Country Store.
4. Grain Trading: Bulk commodities purchasing including Grain, Wheat, Barley or Oats. Deals with both assured and non-assured suppliers at competitive prices.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

South West Lancashire Farmers (SWLF) is a farmer-owned agricultural merchants cooperative that manufactures and supplies animal feeds (cattle, sheep, pig, poultry, goat, layers, and Pro-Mix coarse mixes) along with fertilisers, seeds, fencing, livestock equipment, mineral blocks, and other farm requisites. The company operates a physical Country Store in Skelmersdale offering pet feeds, equestrian supplies, country clothing, footwear, and household products, and also undertakes grain trading in bulk commodities.

Product overview

South West Lancashire Farmers operates as a farmer-owned agricultural merchants offering a unified portfolio of animal feed products and country store goods. The core product lines include Cattle Feeds (dairy, calf, beef), Pro-Mix Coarse Mix Feeds (cattle, sheep, Texel, show bull), Layers Feeds, Pig Feeds, and Sheep & Goat Feeds, all manufactured to UFAS quality standards. These feed products are supplemented by an extensive country store offering that includes Animal Health Products, Pet Food/Beds/Toys/Leads, Equestrian Supplies, Fencing & Gates, Grass Seed, Clothing & Footwear, Household Products, Livestock Equipment, Mineral Blocks & Buckets, Netwrap/Silage & Twine, Pest Control, and Seed & Fertiliser. The company also provides Grain Trading services and operates through the BATA Group network for bulk and bagged feed supply.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pro-Mix: Specialist coarse feed range including Pro-Mix Calf & Cattle Coarse Mixes, Pro-Mix Show Bull, Pro-Mix Sheep Coarse Mixes, and Pro-Mix Texel Coarse Mixes. Designed to be highly palatable and digestible for young, pedigree and show livestock.
• SWLF Horse Coarse Feeds
• SWLF Grass Seed

Products and services

• Cattle Feeds Complete cattle feed range including dairy feeds for milk yield and quality, calf feeds for rumen development, and beef feeds for efficient growth and finishing, manufactured to UFAS approved mill quality standards. For commercial dairy, beef and calf operations.
• Pro-Mix Coarse Mix Feeds Specialist coarse feed range including Pro-Mix Calf & Cattle Coarse Mixes, Pro-Mix Show Bull, Pro-Mix Sheep Coarse Mixes, and Pro-Mix Texel Coarse Mixes, designed for young, pedigree and show livestock. Highly palatable and digestible formulations.
• Layers Feeds High-performance compound feeds for rearing and laying hens, including Layers Pellets and Mash, for commercial units and farmyard chickens.
• Pig Feeds Versatile range of high-quality pig feeds for commercial and traditional breeds, including grower, finisher, and sow diets available as meal, nuts or rolls.
• Sheep & Goat Feeds Wide range of sheep feeds designed to maximise ewe productivity and ensure lambs grow strong, plus premium goat feeds, manufactured in UFAS approved mills.
• Grain Trading Bulk commodity trading for grain, wheat, barley and oats, dealing with assured and non-assured suppliers at competitive prices from the company's Skelmersdale office.
• Seed & Fertiliser Crop-related products with FACTS qualified technical support, including full range of cereal seeds and fertilisers from YARA Compounds to blended fertilisers.
• Grass Seed Large range of grass seeds sourced through supplier network, including own SWLF Grass Seed range.
• Animal Health Products Animal health products for cattle, sheep, poultry and equine including nutrition and worming advice, featuring brands such as Elanco, Zoetis, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bimeda, Provita, Nettex, Agrihealth and Boluses.
• Mineral Blocks & Buckets Essential cattle and sheep dietary supplements from suppliers including Rumenco, Caltech/Crystalyx, Tithebarn and Rockies.
• Livestock Equipment Livestock equipment including cattle crushes, dehorners, combi clamps, feeders, hurdles, calving gates and lamb adopters from Ritchie and IAE.
• Fencing & Gates Fencing and gates for farming, small holdings and equestrian use including wood and metal field gates, post and rail fencing, and steel fencing wires.
• Netwrap, Silage & Twine Netwrap, silage and twine products suitable for round and square balers from Piippo, Country and Volac.
• Pest Control Pest control products including traps for rat, mouse, mole and rabbit, plus baits from Country, Neosorexa, Tomcat and Bayer containing Difenacoum, Bromadiolone and Brodifacoum.
• Equestrian Supplies Equestrian products including Dengie, Hilton Mixtures, Lickits, NAF Supplements, Horslyx, Global Herbs, Pure Feeds, Gold Label, Spillers, Gallop Rugs, and SWLF Horse Coarse Feeds.
• Pet Food, Beds, Toys & Leads Pet products for dogs, cats, rabbits and guinea pigs including feeds, beds, toys, leads and accessories from brands such as Skinners, Burgess, Country Dog & Cat food, Petface, Dr Johns, and Ancol.
• Clothing & Footwear Core range of clothing including coats, shirts, jackets, jumpers, waterproofs and socks from Castle Clothing, plus footwear including wellingtons, safety and non-safety boots from Buckler, Bogs, Dickies, Dunlop, Grubs, Nora and Seals.
• Household Products Domestic household products from leading brands including Persil, Ariel, Fairy, Comfort, Flash, Domestos, Cif, plus coal, logs, kindling and smokeless fuels.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• BATA GroupcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSWLF has access to a network of Quality Bulk & Bagged Animal Feed suppliers through the BATA Group. They source feed products through this partnership and direct customers to shop online via the BATA Group website at bataltd.co.uk for Country Store and Agricultural offers.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• AB Agri: Associated British Foods' agricultural division, manufacturing animal feeds and supplying feed ingredients across the UK and internationally. A larger incumbent in feed manufacturing and ag-inputs operating alongside SWLF's core categories.
• ForFarmers: One of Europe's largest animal feed manufacturers, with significant UK operations producing compound feeds for cattle, pigs and poultry. A larger, broad incumbent operating in SWLF's core feed manufacturing category at greater scale.

Direct peers

• Carrs Billington Agriculture: UK agricultural cooperative and merchant supplying animal feeds, machinery, and farm inputs across Northern England and Scotland. Highly comparable cooperative structure, regional focus, and product portfolio to SWLF.
• Wynnstay Group: Welsh/English agricultural supplier offering animal feeds, fertiliser, seed and farm supplies to livestock and arable farmers. Directly comparable merchant model with overlapping product categories and UK regional farming customer base.
• Mole Valley Farmers: UK farmer-owned agricultural cooperative supplying animal feeds, fertilisers, seed and farm supplies across the West Country and beyond. Closely comparable business model, customer base (commercial farmers), and product mix to SWLF.
• NWF Group: UK manufacturer and distributor of animal feeds (cattle, sheep, pig) alongside fuel and agricultural supplies. Comparable feed manufacturing capability, customer segments, and UK distribution footprint.
• Countrywide Farmers: UK agricultural retailer supplying feeds, equestrian, pet, country clothing and farm supplies. Comparable country store and agricultural supply mix serving rural consumers and smallholders.

Others

• BATA Group: UK agricultural buying group and partner network that supplies SWLF's broader feed range and hosts its online offering. Not a direct competitor but a strategic channel partner with overlapping customer base across UK member merchants.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SWLFUK
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/swlf

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 South West Lancashire Farmers