We’re celebrating Yorkshire Day with 12 facts you may not know about Burgess Pet Care… | Blog
1. FAMILY VALUES – Burgess Pet Care began as a family business and today, unlike many of its competitors, it remains an independent, family-owned company. For generations, Burgess has produced the finest quality foods for people and animals.
2. YORKSHIRE BORN AND BRED – The origins of Burgess can be traced back to 1649, when a Burgess ancestor established a milling business near Fountains Abbey, Yorkshire. By 1790, the flour milling operation moved to Kirkby Fleetham. In 1922, the business moved to Thornton-le-Dale on the edge of the North York Moors, and this remains Burgess HQ today. Since 1987, animal feed production has been based at Cherry Tree Mill in East Yorkshire.
3. SUPPORTING LOCAL PRODUCERS – Burgess knows all its suppliers personally and is committed to using locally-sourced ingredients wherever possible. Deliveries to Cherry Tree Mill are often made by tractor!
4. INVESTING IN GROUND-BREAKING RESEARCH – In 2014, Burgess worked with the University of Edinburgh on a ground-breaking study which highlighted the risks to rabbits’ health associated with muesli style diets and selective feeding. As a result, Burgess stopped making any muesli products for rabbits and guinea pigs.
5. WORLD FIRSTS IN SMALL PET FOOD – Taking an innovative approach, Burgess developed the UK’s first single component nugget for rabbits to prevent selective feeding, the world’s first food specifically formulated for indoor rabbits and the world’s first indoor guinea pig nuggets which are made with a calm formula.
6. GRASS THAT’S A CUT ABOVE – At Burgess, all small pet nuggets, feeding hay and healthy treats are made using nutritious, homegrown grass that’s exclusive to Burgess – no other pet food manufacturer has access to Burgess Excel grass! With full traceability, the Burgess team knows exactly which field each batch comes from and the date it was harvested.
7. PROMOTING BIODIVERSITY – The Estate where Burgess Excel grass is grown works in partnership with the local wildlife trust so that the grassland is managed to reduce environmental impact and encourage biodiversity. This includes over 140 miles of hedgerow, providing a home for a variety of flora and fauna including bird species such as linnets, whitethroats, yellow wagtails and blackbirds. The field margins have been enhanced with wildflowers such as yellow-wort, autumn gentian, dyer’s greenweed, clustered bellflower, pyramidal and man orchids, to encourage pollinating insects
8. RAISING A VOICE FOR RABBITS – Realising that pet rabbits are often misunderstood animals, in 2006, Burgess launched the first Rabbit Awareness Week (RAW). Collaborating with leading animal charities and vet bodies, this annual campaign serves to educate rabbit owners about the best ways to care for their pets and continually improve rabbit welfare.
9. PUTTING PET GUINEA PIGS IN THE SPOTLIGHT – Building on the success of RAW, in 2021 Burgess launched the first ever Guinea Pig Awareness Week (GPAW), endorsed by the British Veterinary Association and the British Small Animal Veterinary Association. GPAW recognises the importance of providing essential care to support the wellbeing of the nation’s guinea pigs. In fact, GPAW is the UK’s largest campaign dedicated to improving guinea pig welfare!
10. RAISING AWARENESS OF GREYHOUNDS AND LURCHERS IN NEED – Burgess launched its Greyhound & Lurcher takeover campaign in 2019. Along with highlighting the amazing work of rescue charities, this annual campaign also raises awareness of rescue hounds needing happy forever homes and donates thousands of pounds worth of Burgess Supadog Greyhound & Lurcher food. In 2024, an incredible £20,000 worth of much-needed food was delivered by members of the Burgess team to hardworking rescue charities across the UK!
11. CHAMPIONING RESCUE DOGS – The best breed of dog is rescue! In 2022 Burgess launched a new dog food variety – Supadog Rich in Salmon – featuring an on-pack image of Jess, a two-year-old, rescued Staffy Cross. For every bag sold, 20p is donated to dog rescues across the UK in the form of free food.
12. RECOGNISING SPECIAL VETS – If you have pets, then you know that your vet or veterinary nurse is a VIP (Very Important Person)! Burgess thinks so too, which is why, in 2020, it launched the Burgess Vet Awards, to recognise the fantastic contribution of vets and vet nurses in the small animal category. Burgess continues to invest in vet education and support the UK’s leading animal charities.
Burgess in-house vet and deputy managing direct, Dr Suzanne Moyes MVB MRCVS, who joined the business in 2013 and uses her nutritional expertise to nurture happy, healthy dogs, cats and small animals, comments: “At Burgess Pet Care, as well as making healthy, nutritious pet food, we strongly believe in responsible pet ownership. We are dedicated to improving the health and welfare of animals through research and education. We continually work with leaders in small animal welfare, behaviour and health to ensure we are at the forefront of small animal health and nutrition. This is why experts, from vets and rescue centres to animal behaviourists, recommend and trust our food. If you’re not already, we hope you and your pets will become part of the Burgess family!”
Is your dog a Burgess dog? Your cat a Burgess cat? Your small pets Burgess small pets? Join the Burgess Pet Club for exclusive offers and rewards.
LOVE PETS? TRUST BURGESS – WE’RE EXPERTS IN OUR FIELD!
Burgess Pet Care is one of the UK’s leading pet food manufacturers for the country’s most popular pets – dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, chinchillas and degus, hamsters, gerbils and mice, rats and ferrets.
At Burgess Pet Care, all our high-quality recipes have been formulated by vets and nutritionists. This ensures they contain the right balance of vitamins and minerals to supplement your pet’s diet to help keep them happy and healthy.
Helping you to help your pets live their best lives
At Burgess Pet Care, we’re focused on helping pets and pet people understand more about the importance of healthy nutrition and caring for their animal companions in the best way possible. Here are some of the ways we can help:
- Got a question about caring for your pets or about the best way of feeding them? Ask our vet >>
- Looking for helpful advice for your pets? We’ve lots of great tips to help you give your animals the best life on our pet care pages >>
- Want to stay up to date with the latest news, trends and pet care advice? Head over to our Pet Talk blog >>
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