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New Penlan Farm range from Burns Burns Pet Nutrition has always been at the cutting edge of pet nutrition and this year sees the introduction of another innovative range from this family owned and run business.
Vet John Burns founded the company in 1993, based on his belief that pets should be fed a home-made diet of brown rice, vegetables and chicken, fi sh or meat sold for human consumption. For many years he had been successfully recommending that his clients manage the health of their pets through diet, but had come to realise that this type of food needed to be convenient and readily available. The company is now well known for its wide range of high-quality products, expert nutritional advice, and high ethical standards.

“Over a number of years, Burns Pet Nutrition has built up a reputation for excellent pet nutrition and high ethical standards," explains John Burns, BVMS MRCVS. "Our new products take these ideals to a new level. This means that we will follow the principle of producing pet food locally, with high standards of animal welfare, using sustainable farming methods and taking into consideration the concern for the environment and wildlife. This will be followed through from farming and sourcing of ingredients to the production of this new range. As with all Burns foods you can be sure that by feeding the Penlan Farm range you are giving your dog the very best.”

Visionary farming
When John purchased Penlan Farm in 2006 it provided him with the opportunity to realise his original vision — producing the raw materials for a new generation of pet food made using locally sourced ingredients and manufactured in his own factory.Penlan Farm is sustainably managed using organic techniques with animal welfare, conservation and the provision of wildlife habitat of upmost importance. As well as producing seasonal vegetables for the new moist food, the farm also grows oats and wheat for the free-range chickens that provide the eggs for one of the new varieties. The chickens are kept in small fl ocks, each with its own specially designed shed and the run of a fi eld to reduce stress and allow for natural behaviours.A programme of hedge creation has been implemented to provide wildlife corridors and habitat. Field margins are left uncultivated or planted with fl owers and grains to provide food for bees and other insects in summer and wild birds in winter. Woodlands are planted and developed to provide habitat for wildlife and also act as a natural windbreak.The development of the farm means that not only can Burns provide traceability for their ingredients; they can even tell you which fi eld the vegetables or hay came from, what the chickens like to eat and what wildlife and plants can be found on the farm. John Burns can often be found caring for the hens or helping to tend for the crops on the farm.In 2009 John, with son Hamish as project manager, started work on their own moist pet food factory ready to create a new pet food using the ingredients produced on their own farm or locally sourced (whenever possible). It is important to Burns that any transport involved in the creation of the new range is kept to a minimum so the factory is close to both the farm and the existing main distribution point.Although the farm cannot yet provide all the ingredients required for the three varieties, the organic chicken and lambs’ hearts have been sourced locally to help support the local economy and reduce transport requirements. Unfortunately, Wales is not suitable for growing rice so the organic brown rice has been sourced from Italy to minimise its carbon footprint.

Peace of mind
Many dog owners would love to be able to provide home-cooked meals for their pets but simply do not have the time to do so. Now they can let the Burns family cook for their dog, safe in the knowledge that they are providing the best possible nutrition and supporting an ethical British business. In an age when traceability of ingredients is so important for peace of mind and a guarantee of quality Burns can now not just tell you where the ingredients have come from but can provide a product made from ingredients that they have carefully nurtured themselves.The 400g pouches will be available in three varieties; Chicken, Brown Rice & Vegetables, Lamb, Brown Rice & Vegetables and Egg, Brown Rice & Vegetables.

For more information visit http://www.burnspet.co.uk/dog/index.asp