Rabbits around the world are feasting on Yorkshire hay provided by an historic independent family business which is boosting its international profile.
Burgess Pet Care, which is based at Thornton le Dale in North Yorkshire and has operations at Pollington in East Yorkshire, has secured a global listing with German distribution platform Zooplus. The move means the pet food manufacturer has boosted its European profile, adding to thousands of small animals it feeds with its Excel brand made from Yorkshire cut and dried hay.
Annabel Coleman, Excel brand manager at Burgess Pet Care, said: "Yorkshire is known for its rolling countryside, typified by healthy green fields stretching towards big blue skies as far as the eye can see. It is a vision that embodies goodness and nutrition which is driving our international growth. It’s a great testament to our incredible farmers we work with that we are seeing so much demand for these products, and we’re delighted to offer owners in both the Ƶ and around the world the chance to provide their small animals with a diet rich in the finest Yorkshire hay.
"To respond to demand, we are currently developing larger pack size options and tasty herb additions to add to our hay ranges, Ƶ and International, in response to the increased demand.”
Rabbits and guinea pigs need to eat their own body size in hay daily as part of a recommended diet, and Burgess’ supplies its hay range sourced from specialist local farmers across four continents.
The business started as a family milling operation in the 17th century before moving in to pet food production, with 60 years now in the market. It has long-standing links with the veterinary community and animal welfare charities including the RSPCA and Blue Cross, and is the driving force behind national campaigns such as both Rabbit and Guinea Pig Awareness Week, which seek to improve the health and welfare of these special animals – often through increased consumption of hay.
Its products are sold as far afield as China, Germany, Kuwait, Malaysia, Malta, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand and United Arab Emirates, in addition to the Ƶ and Ireland. Burgess is said to have further global expansion ambitions.
