- Administrators have suspended M&J Haulage Limited’s operations and all employees sent home
- Employs 24 people and a number of subcontractors, based in Snelland, Lincolnshire
- Company provided haulage and farming services in East Midlands area
- Chris Pole and Mark Orton from KPMG have been appointed joint administrators to the firm
- Impacted by reduced contract volumes leading to material downturn in profitability and subsequent cash flow issues
- Growing creditor pressure, inability to obtain further funding, and absence of committed increase in long-term orders, deemed a viable business no longer existed
Chris Pole, partner at KPMG and joint administrator, said:
“The company had recently seen a decline in its order book, which led to significant pressure on its cashflow.
“Over the coming days, we will be assessing options for the business, including the possibility of resuming operations, while we explore a sale of the business and its assets.”
NFU board chairman, Michael Sly, labelled the contractor ‘a pioneer’ in the industry harvesting and haulage scheme:
“Our thoughts are with M and J’s employees and with everyone affected by this sad situation. M and J Haulage Ltd were pioneers of the Industry Harvest and Haulage Scheme – created to build best practice and efficiency in sugar beet harvesting, loading and haulage.
“M and J’s demise not only creates huge challenges for growers, who may now struggle to find a replacement contractor to harvest and deliver their beet, but also brings into question the effectiveness of the Industry Harvest and Haulage Scheme and its ability to deliver a sustainable supply chain from field to factory.
“We have noted British Sugar’s assertion that contingency plans are in place for such instances, and that they do not anticipate any significant delays due to the loss of M and J Haulage Ltd. NFU Sugar urges British Sugar to share their plans with growers as soon as possible.”
