Livestock Handling and Farm Equipment Suppliers in the UK
A hand-checked list of UK firms that make or sell cattle and sheep handling kit, weighing, feeders and pig equipment. It is not a ranking, nobody pays to be here, and prices are for the supplier to quote.
This page lists 13 UK makers and suppliers of livestock handling, weighing, feeders and pig equipment, each opened on its own website. Start with the HSE checklist for a safe race and crush, then ask every supplier two things: will your scale read my EID tags, and can I get the weights out as a file.
No paid placements. Run a UK business that fits here? Email hello@farmhq.ai with your business name, area covered and website.
What handling equipment does a small suckler or sheep farm actually need?
Start with a race, a crush or sheep handler, and a way to sort animals into groups. The HSE says every farm that handles cattle needs a race and a crush suited to the animals, and that makeshift gates and hurdles are not enough (HSE AIS35).
For a small suckler herd, that usually means a fixed or mobile crush with a head yoke, a few strong gates to make a funnel, and a sheeted race if you can fit one. A mobile system on wheels can suit a farm with cattle spread over several fields. The HSE also recommends thinking about shedder gates after the crush so you can sort animals into groups.
For sheep, most flocks work from a race and drafting gate, plus either a turnover crate or a sheep handler for foot work and dosing. The HSE livestock page names races, shedding gates and turnover crates for sheep (HSE: livestock).
A weigh scale is worth adding once you are weighing for sale or dosing. Feeders, troughs and creep feeders come after the handling kit, not before. Start small and add as you go.
What should a handling system be checked for?
Check it against the HSE list: the race, the crush, the floor and the way you work. The HSE sheet on handling cattle says the race should have a funnel end, sides high enough to stop animals jumping, no tight turns, and secure fixing to the ground and to each other (HSE AIS35).
- Race: sheeted sides help keep cattle moving, and the lead animal should be held by a door worked from your side.
- Crush: a locking front gate and yoke, a rump rail, bar or chain, a slip-resistant floor, good light, and a fixing to the ground or, if mobile, to a vehicle.
- Foot trimming: the HSE says to use a purpose-designed crush, for example with foot restraints and belly winches.
- Kicking: check the animal can be held from kicking, and consider an anti-kicking bar or apron.
Never work on an animal held by gates alone, and never work in the crush while an unsecured animal waits in the race behind. The HSE also says some jobs need two people and that sticks and prods must not be used to strike an animal. See our farm health and safety basics for reporting duties.
How does weighing link to medicine dosing and the medicine book?
A weight tells you how much to give, and the medicine book records what you gave. Dose rates are normally set by bodyweight on the product label or data sheet, so a scale reading is better than a guess. Follow the label, or your vet's instructions.
The record itself is set by law. When a keeper gives a medicine to a food-producing animal, Regulation 19 of the Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013 says to record the medicine, the date, the amount, the waiting period before the animal's products can be used for food, and which animals were treated (legislation.gov.uk, regulation 19). Regulation 20 says keep those records for five years (regulation 20).
This is where an EID scale helps. If the weight is stored against the tag number, the animal ID is already captured for the entry. Read our guides on the five-year rule, copying a vet invoice into the medicine book and what a Red Tractor medicine book needs.
What should I ask a supplier about EID compatibility?
Ask four plain questions before you pay for any scale, reader or crush with weighing built in. Supplier claims are theirs, so get the answers in writing.
- Which tags will it read? Ask for the tags you already use, cattle and sheep, and for the reader you own now.
- Can it link the weight to the tag automatically? Gallagher describes its reader linking the tag to the recorded weight without typing (Gallagher). Ask any maker whether theirs does the same.
- How do I get the data out? Ask for a file you can open or send to your farm software, and whether any app has a subscription.
- What if the scale fails? Ask about repair, calibration and the load bars, and how long a replacement takes.
Tag and reader suppliers are in our EID and tagging directory. The rules on tags are in our cattle EID guide and sheep EID guide.
Is second-hand or new handling equipment better value?
Second-hand can save money, but only if it passes the same safety checks as new. Use the HSE list above and walk away from anything that fails it, however cheap.
When looking at a used crush, check:
- The head yoke locks firmly and releases easily under load.
- Gates swing smoothly, with no bent frames or worn pins.
- Welds and rust: surface rust is cosmetic, but rot around joints and floors is not.
- The floor is sound and slip-resistant.
- Fixing points, so it can be secured to the ground or the vehicle.
- Spare parts are still available from the maker.
New kit costs more, but you get a known finish, parts back-up and a fixed spec. Galvanised finishes resist rust better than paint. Check the rules of any grant before you buy, not after, as the 2026 Farming Equipment and Technology Fund round in England closed on 28 April 2026 and Defra described it as the last standalone round in its present form (Defra farming blog). Track what you spend with our farm expenses guide.
What should I look at before buying a crush?
Look at the animals you will put in it, the place it will stand, and what jobs it must do. A crush that does not fit your cattle or your yard will not be used, and an unused crush is no safer than none.
- Size of stock: the biggest cow or bull you will hold, and the smallest calf.
- Jobs: dosing, TB testing, pregnancy scanning, tagging, foot work. The HSE says foot trimming needs a purpose-designed crush.
- Site: room to work on both sides, light, cover from rain, and a bench for medicines and records. The HSE suggests a workbench nearby.
- Fixed or mobile: mobile must be fixed to a vehicle when in use.
- Weighing: can load bars be added later?
- Operator: can the person who does the work, who may be a spouse or a part-timer, work it alone and safely?
See one working before you commit. Ask the maker for farm references near you, and ask your vet what they need from a crush on test days. Buying through a stockist such as BATA or Tanner Trading can let you compare makers side by side.
What do farmers actually ask?
Where can I find cattle handling equipment near me?
Look at the coverage column in the table above. Makers such as IAE and LM Bateman sell through stockists, and several firms here ship across the UK. Ask a maker for its nearest stockist, then see the kit in person before buying. Wales has no maker listed here yet, so check with local farm stores.
What is the best weigh scale for a small beef herd?
There is no single answer, and this directory does not rank anyone. Choose a scale that reads the EID tags you use, stores weights against each tag number and lets you export the data. Compare at least two suppliers, such as Gallagher UK, Te Pari UK or Tanner Trading, and ask what happens when a load bar fails.
Do I need a crush to treat or test cattle?
The HSE says every farm handling cattle should have proper facilities, with a race and a crush suited to the animals, because makeshift gates and hurdles are not enough. Never treat an animal held only by gates. See the HSE sheet on handling and housing cattle.
Can I record medicine doses from weigh data?
Yes, as long as you still record what the law asks for. For food-producing animals that is the medicine, the date, the amount, the withdrawal period and which animals were treated. A weigh record that holds the tag number saves retyping. Keep the entries for five years. See our five-year rule guide.
Who makes pig feeders and housing in the UK?
Etra Feeders in Co. Tyrone makes pig feeders and housing, according to its own site. ARM Buildings in Staffordshire builds pig houses and supplies feeders from other makers, Newquip distributes Big Dutchman, and Con-Tented Products makes huts and feeders for outdoor pigs. See the pig rows above, and our pig keepers records guide.
Is it safe to handle cattle alone?
The HSE says some work with cattle needs two people, so assess the need for help before you start. In the field it says to have at least two people if you must separate an animal or tag with the dam unsecured. It also advises thinking carefully about risks for anyone over 65 working with cattle. See the HSE sheet.
Sources
- HSE: Handling and housing cattle (AIS35)
- HSE: Handling and housing cattle (AIS35, full PDF)
- HSE: Livestock safety in agriculture
- legislation.gov.uk: Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013, regulation 19
- legislation.gov.uk: Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013, regulation 20
- Defra: Equipment and technology funding deadline reminder
- Gallagher UK: How weighing and identification works
- Farmers Weekly: Best of British, David Ritchie Implements