A new pet food company has received a $31,500 grant from the Department of Primary Industries to start selling its pet food in the UK.

The pet food firm, Petco, said it had secured $3.5m in a $10m funding round in September and that the $31.5 million in funding would be used to improve its business and expand its footprint in the United Kingdom. 

The new funding was announced by Minister for Primary Industries, Ben Bradshaw, on Friday morning. 

Petco has been selling its products in the U.K. since 2008 and has a range of products from pet food to frozen treats. 

Mr Bradshaw said that Petco’s first UK markets would open in 2021, with more markets expected to open in the future. 

“As we continue to expand our business, we need to continue to invest in our local supply chain and to ensure that we have the best quality products available to consumers,” Mr Bradshaw told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

“I want to emphasise that PetCo will be able to compete on the basis of quality and customer service and I think that is something that will be a key focus as we look at our UK operations.” 

The department has been working closely with Petco since 2008, and is hoping to launch a range in 2021 of its pet foods. 

As part of the new funding, PetCo said it would also work with the government to improve access to the pet food market in the country. 

A spokeswoman for the department said the grant was for a “long-term development plan”.

“The department will continue to work with PetCo to ensure they can deliver on their plans and continue to bring new products to the UK market,” she said. 

‘Dramatic rise’The Department for Primary Industry said the money was “part of our commitment to help our local and national pet food sector continue to grow and grow”. 

“We believe the UK pet food industry has a strong future and we want to support this growth in the right way,” the spokeswoman added. 

She said the funding would not be spent on advertising or promoting the products. 

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