Est. 1950’s: Seven Decades of Livestock Knowledge.
Farmer-focused and family-run, Pickstock Primestock source prime lambs and ewes nationwide all year-round, providing fair prices, fast payment and dependable service, while proudly supporting British farming.
Animal welfare sits at the heart of everything we do. We are proud to operate a 100% pre-stunned process, and our dedicated team of animal welfare officers works across the business to uphold the very highest standards at every stage — because we believe good welfare and good farming go hand in hand.
With a killing capacity of 18,000 head per week, we combine the care and values of a family business with the scale and reliability farmers can depend on.
Our Heritage
The Pickstock Family: In Livestock Since the 1950s
The Pickstock name has been part of the British livestock industry for over seventy years. What began as a family rooted in the trade has grown, generation by generation, into a business with the knowledge, relationships and expertise that only comes from decades of doing things properly.
Pickstock Primestock was formally established in 2020 — but the understanding of livestock, of farmers and of what makes a fair deal was already long in place. We didn't start from scratch. We started from a standing position, backed by a family that has lived and breathed the trade since before most of our farmer partners were born.
That heritage matters to us. It means we approach every transaction not as a commodity exchange, but as part of a relationship built on mutual respect — between one farming family and the farmers who supply us.
Our Facility
Modern Processing. Serious Scale. Uncompromising Standards.
Our processing facility in Ashby de la Zouch is purpose-built for sheep, handling 15,000 to 20,000 ewes and lambs every single week. That scale allows us to offer consistent, competitive pricing year-round — while our exclusive focus on sheep means every process, every system and every member of our team is oriented around one thing: handling your stock with the care and efficiency it deserves.
We operate to the highest standards of animal welfare, food safety and traceability, supplying quality British lamb to retailers, independent butchers and foodservice customers across the UK. When a farmer sends stock to us, they can be confident it will be processed with integrity and reach the end customer as a product we're all proud of.
Key features of our operation:
Dedicated ewe and lamb processing facility
15,000–20,000 head weekly processing capacity
Independent MLC classification and grading on every animal
Red Tractor approved — premiums paid in full
Supplying retailers, butchers and foodservice customers across the UK
Our Values
Honest. Fair. Family.
Three words that have guided the Pickstock family since the 1950s, and that still shape every decision we make today.
Honest
Every lamb is independently graded by the MLC, not by us. You get a transparent result, a clear breakdown and consistent feedback. No guesswork, no disputes.
Fair
We pay competitive prices, recognise Red Tractor assurance with a full premium & pay within 3 working days. We can also arrange collection if transport is a challenge. We understand cash flow matters and act accordingly.
Family
We're not a corporate processor with a farmer liaison team and a call centre. We're a family business, and when you work with us, you deal with people who care about this industry as much as you do.
Our Customers
Quality Lamb. Multiple Channels.
The lamb we process finds its way to consumers through a range of routes, from major retailers and supermarkets, to independent butchers, to foodservice and catering businesses across the UK.
That breadth of customer base gives us purchasing stability and the confidence to buy consistently, all year round, at prices that reflect the quality of what British, Welsh and Scottish farmers produce.