M.P. EVANS GROUP PLC (MPE) — Annual General Meeting

Investor webinar replay

Replay transcript excerpt

Have we have I been given okay. Ladies and gentlemen, it is now twelve noon, the time appointed for the Annual General Meeting, and I have much pleasure in welcoming you. And I see there are just enough seats. A quorum of two members is required, and I confirm that more than this number is present. I'm pleased to inform you that the meeting today is being live streamed and recorded so that shareholders and other stakeholders who cannot be present can view it live or watch it on the company's website in due course. I'm also pleased to confirm that I'm joined today by my colleagues on the Board. As you may be aware, the company released a trading update this morning covering the first five months of 2026. Copies of the reports have been distributed in the room, should you wish to review it. I might just pick out sorry? Are there any more? I think there were 50 or 60. Sorry if we don't have quite enough. But anyway, it is I might, in the meantime, just pick out one or two of the highlights from the report. Pleasingly, total crop harvested in the group managed areas, that's those areas owned by ourselves and our associated smallholder farmers, was up by 10% to 575,100 tonnes. Oil extraction rates in group mills increased to an average of 24.2%, which is extremely high by industry standards, was already high for the same period of last year at 23.5%, but this is a staggering increase of a further 0.7%. And every 0.1% straight to the bottom line. So it's a real credit to the team with field, the agronomic team and the engineering team working more and more closely together in harmony to produce these excellent extraction rates. And they strive to improve on these further. Crude palm oil production up by 8% to 157,600 tonnes with 82% now certified sustainable. Pricing has r...