Volac’s milk replacer business has been acquired by the Dutch-based Denkavit Group.

The acquisition sees Denkavit becoming sole owner of Volac Milk Replacer and Volac Socoor in Italy.

Product for markets in the UK and Ireland will continue to be supplied and blended by Volac as part of the deal and, as such, Volac will remain partners in this regard.

Denkavit Group specialises in young animal nutrition and feed ingredients, with a focus on nutrition for calves, piglets, kids and lambs.

Dairy nutrition business Volac has eight production facilities - four of them in the UK, one in Ireland, one in the US, one in Indonesia and one in Malaysia.

New focus

Chief executive officer of Volac International Ltd David Neville said feed additives under Volac Animal Nutrition is now a key focus for the company.

“As our portfolio of products in Volac Animal Nutrition expands further into the feed additives area following the successful acquisition of Micron Bio-Systems in 2021, we want to build on the synergies this brings.

“We have made the decision to sell our milk replacer business to a leading player in that market who can give it the focus it deserves,” he said.

Ambition

On the acquisition, chief executive officer of Denkavit Group Erik Buys said the move supports the company’s aim to be a global leader in the milk replacer industry.

“The Volac products impress us and we believe them to be a valuable addition to our portfolio, as they are renowned for superior quality and therefore fit seamlessly into our group.

“This acquisition strongly supports our ambition for global leadership in the calf milk replacer industry, bringing us a strong position in the UK and Irish markets,” he said.