John Thompson and Sons

What John Thompson and Sons does

John Thompson and Sons Ltd (trading as Thompsons or Thompsons Feeds) is Northern Ireland's largest animal feed manufacturer and the operator of the largest feed mill in Europe, with £200M in annual turnover and 180 employees based at its York Road headquarters in Belfast. Founded in 1890 and a subsidiary of the W&R Barnett Group, the company runs three production sites across Northern Ireland and serves livestock producers across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland through a direct trading desk offering farm delivery within 48 hours and a network of independent feed merchants.

The company's product portfolio spans five core feed divisions (ruminant, poultry, pig, horse, and alternative feeds) anchored by a world-class bio-secure manufacturing facility and a state-of-the-art blending plant that produces specialist ruminant blends with precise nutritional formulations. Beyond bulk feed, Thompsons sells differentiated nutritional programmes including the Lifetime Dairy concept (segmenting the dairy cow life cycle), Zinpro performance mineral lines (Availa Zn, Availa Se, Availa Dairy, IsoFerm), and condition-specific packs targeting calf health, dry cow management, and digital dermatitis prevention. The company holds HACCP International Quality Systems certification and emphasizes full raw-material-to-finished-feed traceability, supported by silage analysis, soil analysis, and Milk Manager reporting services.

Revenue is generated primarily through one-time sale of animal feed and ancillary agricultural products (G-Lime fertiliser, grass seed, silage inoculant, secure covers), with a smaller contribution from fee-based technical services. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, with orders routed through the trading desk or merchant network. The go-to-market is community-led: on-farm visits by specialist nutritionists, sponsorship of major industry events including the Balmoral Show and the John Thompson & Sons/NISA Dairy Cow Championship, technical webinars, content marketing, and an active digital presence on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. A 10+ year exclusive partnership with Zinpro Corporation provides proprietary performance mineral technology and joint technical education, while research collaborations with AFBI, CAFRE, and Devenish Nutrition underpin ongoing product development.

Name

John Thompson and Sons

Legal name

John Thompson and Sons Ltd

Website

https://thompson.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1890

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

John Thompson and Sons operates Europe's largest animal feed mill, manufacturing multi-species feed (ruminant, poultry, pig, horse) with £200M turnover. The Belfast-based firm serves farmers across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland via a trading desk and merchant network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Animal Feed Manufacturing

NAICS

Animal Food Manufacturing (31111), Other Animal Food Manufacturing (311119), Support Activities for Animal Production (1152)

SIC

Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

TMR/Complete Rations & Pelleted Ruminant Feeds (AFADAAAI), Animal Nutrition & Feeding Support Services (On-Farm Feeding, Feed Management) (AFAEALAJ), Livestock Performance Monitoring Services (Weighing Programs, BCS, Data Capture) (AFACAEAL)

Keywords

• Animal feed manufacturing
• Livestock nutrition
• Ruminant feeds
• Poultry feeds
• Agricultural inputs

Headquarters

HQ city

Belfast

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Animal Feed Sales: Manufacturing and sale of animal feed products across multiple categories including ruminant, poultry, pig, and horse feeds. Products include minerals, liquid feeds, protected fats, and alternative feeds. Turnover of £200M.
2. Agricultural Products: Sale of related agricultural products including G-Lime fertilizer, grass seed, silage innoculant, and secure covers
3. Technical Services: Analytical services including silage analysis, soil analysis, and Milk Manager reporting services

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

John Thompson and Sons manufactures and supplies multi-species animal feed (ruminant, poultry, pig, horse and alternative feeds), supported by specialist nutritional packs, ancillary agricultural inputs (G-Lime fertiliser, grass seed, silage innoculant, secure covers), and on-farm analytical and monitoring services (silage analysis, soil analysis, Milk Manager reporting, Ultramix feed delivery). Sales are transacted via a trading desk delivering to farm within 48 hours, with a separate merchant network across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Product overview

John Thompson and Sons (Thompsons) is Northern Ireland's leading animal feed manufacturer and the largest Feed Mill in Europe. The company operates a multi-product portfolio centred around animal nutrition, offering core feed products across five divisions: Ruminant Feeds, Poultry Feeds, Pig Feeds, Horse Feeds, and Alternative Feeds. These core feed products are supported by a range of nutritional packs including Zinpro IsoFerm, Availa Dairy, Calf Health Pack, Dry Cow Pack, and Heifer DD Pack which provide specialized mineral and nutritional solutions for different livestock life stages. The company also distributes ancillary agricultural products including G-Lime & Fertiliser, Grass Seed, Silage Innoculant, and Secure Covers. Services include Silage Analysis, Soil Analysis, Milk Manager reporting, and Ultramix feed delivery service. The Trading Desk provides direct access to minerals, liquid feeds, protected fats and alternative feeds with rapid 48-hour delivery. The business operates three production sites across Northern Ireland with a world-class bio-secure facility and state-of-the-art blending plant, serving farmers across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ruminant Feeds

Quantifiable outcome

• Products delivered on farm within 48 hours
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Zinpro CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term performance partner for over 10 years. Zinpro provides performance mineral technology including Availa Dairy, Availa Zn (amino acid zinc complex), and Availa Se (rumen by-pass selenium). Partnership includes exclusive products like Zinpro IsoFerm. Joint workshops and technical education programs.
• Northern Ireland Shows Association (NISA)flagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerTitle sponsor of the John Thompson & Sons/NISA Dairy Cow Championship, Northern Ireland's premier dairy competition.
• AFBI (Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner in the Pig Research Consortium along with Devenish Nutrition Ltd and Preferred Capital Management, exploring ways to reduce environmental impact of pig production.
• CAFRE (College of Agriculture, Food & Rural Enterprise)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint workshops and educational events for farmers, including Digital Dermatitis workshops and calf rearing education.
• Devenish Nutrition LtdcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the Pig Research Consortium working on practical solutions for environmentally friendly pig production.
• Marie CurieminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCharity partnership for fundraising, having raised over £60,000 historically and re-ignited partnership for ongoing daffodil appeal fundraising.
• W&R Barnett GroupcoreOthersParent company - one of Northern Ireland's largest businesses. Thompsons benefits from the knowledge and expertise of multiple companies in the sector as part of this group.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Wynnstay Group: Welsh-headquartered agricultural supplier offering compound feeds, blended feeds, and ruminant nutrition products across Wales and the Welsh borders. Comparable multi-species feed manufacturer with farmer-direct distribution model similar to Thompsons' trading desk approach.
• Devenish Nutrition: Northern Ireland-headquartered animal nutrition company manufacturing premixes, specialty feed ingredients, and pig/poultry nutritional solutions. Direct competitor in NI/ROI animal feed market and named co-research partner in Thompsons' Pig Research Consortium.
• Mole Valley Farmers: UK farmer-owned agricultural cooperative supplying compound feeds, fertilizers, and farm inputs to livestock producers across southwest England and Wales. Comparable model of vertically integrated feed supply and farm-direct distribution.
• Premier Nutrition: UK-based specialist premix and feed additive manufacturer serving livestock producers with nutritional solutions. Competes with Thompsons in the specialty/additive layer of feed manufacturing, particularly on dairy nutritional packs.
• Carr's Group: UK agricultural and engineering group with significant feed manufacturing operations serving UK livestock farmers through compound feed, blends, and specialty nutritional products. Comparable size and multi-species feed manufacturing focus to Thompsons.
• 2Agriculture: UK poultry feed specialist supplying compound feed to broiler and layer producers. Direct overlap with Thompsons' poultry feed division and operates similar B2B distribution model in the UK.

Broad incumbents

• ForFarmers: One of Europe's largest feed manufacturers with significant UK and continental operations across ruminant, pig, and poultry feed. Competes directly with Thompsons in UK/Irish markets while operating at much larger scale across multiple countries.
• AB Agri: Associated British Foods' agriculture division, manufacturing compound feed, premixes, and feed ingredients across the UK with multi-species capability including dairy nutrition products. Direct competitor to Thompsons in the UK dairy and livestock feed markets.
• Cargill Animal Nutrition: Global agribusiness giant with animal nutrition operations spanning premixes, compound feeds, and specialty nutritional products across Europe. Operates at scale Thompsons cannot match, but competes for the same UK/Irish livestock farmer customers.

Others

• Zinpro Corporation: US-based performance mineral supplier for animal nutrition with long-term exclusive partnership with Thompsons. While not a direct competitor, Zinpro's minerals underpin Thompsons' specialty feed differentiation and the partnership is a defining element of their product portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xfacebook.com/ThompsonFeeds
• Facebookfacebook.com/ThompsonFeeds
• Instagraminstagram.com/thompsonfeeds
• TikToktiktok.com/@thompsonfeeds

Compliance2 records

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 John Thompson and Sons