McGregor

McGregor McGregor is a leading manufacturer of high welfare, fully mobile and semi-permanent, livestock and poultry housing. We make locally, and ship globally.

Our robust range of livestock and poultry buildings create environments which are cool, dry, light and well ventilated. Through 40 years of experience and manufacture we have adapted and changed our designs to achieve the perfect environment for livestock; in both our fixed and mobile units. The materials are the best available and expertly tested and chosen.

Next weekend is show weekend.The Edenbridge and Oxted Show has been running for over 180 years on the August Bank Holida...
25/08/2026

Next weekend is show weekend.

The Edenbridge and Oxted Show has been running for over 180 years on the August Bank Holiday weekend. Kent, Surrey and Sussex farming families, two days of livestock, horses, food and countryside. Up in Scotland, the Lochaber Show sits under Ben Nevis. There are dozens more across England and Wales throughout the weekend.

The shows are a chance to step back, see neighbours, and remember why the work is worth doing.

To everyone heading to a show this Bank Holiday, we hope you enjoy it.

Most farmers start thinking about Autumn housing in October, and by then the options have thinned out.Permanent building...
17/08/2026

Most farmers start thinking about Autumn housing in October, and by then the options have thinned out.

Permanent buildings take 12 to 16 weeks from order to installation, and planning permission adds more time on top. August is when there's still room to make a proper decision:
→ Animals aren't in yet
→ Time to assess what you actually need
→ Order and install before the season starts

Farms that get housing sorted in August go into Autumn in a good position. Modular farm buildings held in stock can be on site and operational within four days of an order. No permanent foundations with no planning permission needed in most cases.

If housing is still on the list, speak to us today.
mcgregorstructures.com/agri-span/

The NSA Sheep Event at Malvern a couple of weeks ago covered the things it always does, genetics, flock health, and marg...
14/08/2026

The NSA Sheep Event at Malvern a couple of weeks ago covered the things it always does, genetics, flock health, and margin pressure.

One thing that rarely gets the same focus is housing.

Most flock performance reviews focus on the same inputs:
- Breeding decisions
- Worming programmes
- Nutrition
- Vet costs

All of it matters, and the buildings deserve the same attention.

A lot of UK sheep housing was built for a different era. Different cost environment, different compliance picture, different expectations around welfare. It does the job it was designed to do. The question is whether that job is still the same one.

Ram sales and scanning are already on the calendar for most sheep farms. The farms that include their buildings in that autumn review tend to find more room to improve than they expected.

Many UK farm buildings were designed for a cooler climate. Low eaves, dark interiors, limited airflow. In a typical UK s...
13/08/2026

Many UK farm buildings were designed for a cooler climate. Low eaves, dark interiors, limited airflow. In a typical UK summer, that's manageable. In a heatwave, it's not.

Research from the University of Reading found that housed dairy cattle in conventional buildings experienced heat stress conditions for 72% of milking time during the 2021 heatwave. With the UK seeing another prolonged warm spell this summer, the same conditions apply. The building itself was the problem then, and it still is.

In housed livestock, heat stress hits feed intake and milk yield first. Reproduction suffers next. In severe cases, it raises mortality. The effects on beef cattle and sheep are harder to spot quickly. Weight gain slows, but you don't see it until the next weigh-in.

If animals are coming in from the field into a building that can't move air, the housing is making it worse.

McGregor Structures designs farm buildings around airflow and animal environment. It’s something we think every farm should have at the top of their agenda.

Combines are rolling across England. Wheat is the main event right now, with spring barley and OSR following throughout ...
04/08/2026

Combines are rolling across England. Wheat is the main event right now, with spring barley and OSR following throughout the rest of August.

AHDB will be tracking the progress week by week.

The 2026 numbers going in were better than the last two years:
→ Wheat area up 1% in 2025 to 1,675 Kha
→ OSR up 30% after hitting a 42-year low in 2025
→ More in the ground means more coming off

On a decent harvest, grain left exposed while permanent storage fills up loses value fast. Getting covered capacity sorted early pays back quickly.

Modular farm buildings go up in days rather than months. No planning permission is needed in most cases. If storage is on the list, it can still be sorted this harvest.

During the 2022 heatwave, according to a survey from BVA, one in two vets in the UK reported treating cattle, sheep or p...
27/07/2026

During the 2022 heatwave, according to a survey from BVA, one in two vets in the UK reported treating cattle, sheep or pigs for a heat-related condition.

2022 wasn't an outlier. The UK Climate Change Risk Assessment published this May confirmed that heat stress in livestock is already happening.

Most of the advice farmers get in summer focuses on the same things:
→ Water access.
→ Shade at grass.
→ Avoiding transport during peak heat.

All of which is sensible, but none of it addresses what's happening inside housed livestock.

If housing is something you're looking at ahead of next season, we're happy to talk through what works for different farm setups.

Wheat harvest starts across most of England from late July, and for the first time in two years, UK arable farms are hea...
22/07/2026

Wheat harvest starts across most of England from late July, and for the first time in two years, UK arable farms are heading into the busiest weeks of the season with a genuinely decent crop in the ground.

The numbers from AHDB back that up. GB wheat area is up 3% on 2025, close to levels last seen in 2023. Winter crop condition ratings were dramatically better at planting than this time last year. The oilseed r**e area has recovered 30% from 2025's near-record low.

More in the ground means more coming off it. But it also means more to protect once combining begins.

The cost of production for winter wheat is forecast at £1,659 per hectare for the 2026 crop, up 3% on last year. At that cost base, grain that gets wet, contaminated, or left exposed while waiting for permanent storage space costs real money on a season that already costs real money to produce.

By the time combines are rolling, it's too late to be thinking about where the grain is going. Most farms find that out the hard way at least once.

Stuart Perry runs Nower Dairy in Axminster, Devon. 200 dairy cows, year-round calving, supplying milk to Arla and beef c...
16/07/2026

Stuart Perry runs Nower Dairy in Axminster, Devon. 200 dairy cows, year-round calving, supplying milk to Arla and beef calves to Buitelaar.

The problem he had wasn't unusual.

Calf hutches are widely used, but they're not built around animal welfare. Calves were slow to hit weight, vet bills were a regular part of the season, and antibiotic use was higher than Stuart wanted, especially with Arla's supply criteria to meet.

When he invested in an Agri Span, what changed was the environment.

The structure uses a natural stack effect to draw damp air out and keep airflow constant, without any mechanical ventilation. Diffused natural light throughout. Dry, consistent conditions that calves in hutches never get.

Before the switch, 7-month-old calves were reaching 115kg. In the Agri Span, calves were hitting 150kg within 16 weeks. Antibiotic use dropped. Buitelaar's weight and health criteria, which Stuart needed to meet to stay on supply, became achievable.

Stuart's words: "I needed a housing solution ASAP, and the Agri Span fit the bill and more. It keeps my calves healthy and was delivered incredibly quickly."

If calf health and growth rates are a pressure point on your farm, the full case study is linked below.

https://mcgregorstructures.com/agri-span-nower/

The Great Yorkshire Show opens today.  - 8,500 animals - 140,000 visitors -  Four days in HarrogateThe most concentrated...
14/07/2026

The Great Yorkshire Show opens today.
- 8,500 animals

- 140,000 visitors

- Four days in Harrogate

The most concentrated version of British livestock farming you'll find anywhere. It's also one of those moments where the gap between the show ring and the real farm becomes pretty obvious.

The cattle and sheep on display represent years of selective breeding, careful management, and infrastructure that supports high performance. Most of the farms sending animals to Harrogate are running operations that look very different, and that's just the reality of where UK livestock farming is in 2026.

Input costs that shifted sharply over the last two years haven't fully come back down. Tightening welfare requirements are pushing farms toward investments they hadn't budgeted for. And with cattle prices at historically high levels, the pressure to protect margins, not just chase revenue, is real.

What separates farms managing this well from those under strain often isn't scale. It tends to be the quality of decisions made about infrastructure, housing, and animal environment.

The show will celebrate the best of what British livestock farming produces. The conversations around the ring will be about the work that happens behind the scenes.

DEFRA's Animal Health and Welfare Pathway consultation closed on 18th May. Mandatory vet reviews, BVD eradication, PRRS ...
30/06/2026

DEFRA's Animal Health and Welfare Pathway consultation closed on 18th May.

Mandatory vet reviews, BVD eradication, PRRS control, and flock health plans. The sector is waiting on the outcome.

The conversation has since focused heavily on the vet visit requirement and whether farms will be funded once participation becomes compulsory. That's an important question and one the sector is right to be asking.

But in our view, there's a piece of the puzzle that's barely been discussed.

BVD costs the UK cattle sector up to £36 million a year. PRRS costs pig farmers an estimated £52 million. Both figures are from DEFRA's own consultation documents. What those documents don't dwell on is that both diseases spread faster and hit harder in poorly ventilated, damp, or overcrowded housing.

Poor airflow increases pathogen load. Wet bedding compromises respiratory health before any disease is present. Inadequate separation removes the most basic layer of biosecurity you have.

Vet reviews and disease control programmes matter. But they can only build on whatever housing your animals are already living in. It's worth thinking about both together.

Address

Winton Farm, Petersfield Road
New Alresford
SO240HB

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5:30pm
Tuesday 8am - 5:30pm
Wednesday 8am - 5:30pm
Thursday 8am - 5:30pm
Friday 8am - 5:30pm

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