AUGUST is proving especially bountiful for an agricultural co-operative based in South East Cornwall which is sharing a £30,000 cash surplus with its members.

The CQLP, which covers all of the South West from its office in Liskeard, is an independent organisation that sells livestock on behalf of its 250 members.

Chairman Christopher Delbridge says they’re really pleased to be passing on the good news and a bit of a bonus.

“We had a trading surplus during the last financial year of around £30,000, which is now going to be shared out amongst the trading members, according to the amount of stock they’ve sold,” he explained.

“CQLP earns money through procurement fees, paid by the meat companies. The difference with us is that, as a co-operative, we pay this back to our members through a bonus scheme.

“We have a policy that once we reach a certain level of cash in the account we distribute the surplus to members – we last did this around three years ago. Our costs were slightly down last year because our office was shut in the pandemic, yet we continued to trade very well, so it’s really good to be able to pass this on to our members.”

CQLP is completely independent and exists to give members the best information that exists to help them get the most favourable price for their animals. It provides non-biased advice on where members will get the best returns on the stock they’re producing.

A lot of livestock from the South West travels out of the area when its finished, says Christopher, and farmers in Devon and Cornwall can sometimes find themselves out on a limb, both in a practical sense, but also in terms of access to information and trade from the bigger companies and supermarkets.

CQLP gives its members one voice and one point of contact.

Benefits of being part of the co-operative include:

n Weekly bulletin on what’s happening in the market and prices fetched

n Being part of a network and hearing about last-minute requests from companies, and deals as they occur

n Strength in numbers: CQLP can often secure a better price than an abbatoir’s first offer

n Shared transport arrangements and shared costs

CQLP has farmers on the books from all over the region right up through to Somerset, but predominantly from Devon and Cornwall. Owned by members, the organisation is run by a board of directors appointed by its members.

Christopher Delbridge and his wife Linda farm at Menheniot. The farm is mainly grass, with barley and maize grown to feed the beef cattle for finishing. They also have a flock of 400 breeding ewes, mainly New Zealand Romney cross, with all lambs and beef finished and sold through CQLP.

Christopher explains how as a farmer, being a part of CQLP helps his business succeed.

“When I’ve got animals that are ready for slaughter, I email or ring the office and they advise what they think is the best option for me, as well as negotiating on my behalf. Then I have the choice whether to take that option up.

“The time-consuming work and comparisons are done for me and I know that I can trust the expert staff to find the best outlet for the stock under whatever the current market looks like.”