Tyrone horticulture firm makes sales worth £1.7m in 2014

Westland Horticulture, which is based at Granville Industrial Estate, makes compost, weed killer and garden supplies such as lawn treatments and seeds.

Since starting out in compost production, the firm has grown in size with the aquisition of English firm William Sinclair Horticulture for £13.5m, Cranswick Pet Foods and Seramis.

Westlands, which also counts Unwins seeds and wild bird feed range Peckish among its products, had pre-tax profits of £5.5m in 2014 - down from £6.6m during 2013.

But employment numbers rose from 475 over the same period, from 431.

Its turnover also increased between 2013-2014 £106.4m in 2014 was up £4m from £102.4m during 2013, an increase of nearly 4%.

Following a detailed review of raw material, quality and performance, the company promised to remove green waste from all its existing Sinclair products for the 2016 season.

Keith Nicholson, Marketing Director, said: “Westland will not allow green waste into the hands of our gardeners. We believe green waste is simply not up to the standard or consistency required by all and is not delivering the results our consumers deserve.”