French-based agribusiness group Avril has entered into exclusive negotiations with Axéréal to acquire its animal nutrition business. The acquisition will be handled by Sanders, a subsidiary of Avril.
Avril, an industrial and financial player in the vegetable oil and protein sector, announced that it has entered into exclusive negotiations with Axéréal, an agricultural and food industry cooperative group, to acquire all of Axéréal’s animal nutrition business by Avril and its business unit, Sanders.
This transaction reaffirms the long-term commitment of the two groups in support of the agricultural world, particularly French livestock farming, serving dynamic sectors within the various local regions and promoting French food sovereignty. Moreover, this transaction consolidates two major players in the animal feed sector: Sanders, an Avril business unit, and Axéréal Elevage.
Through this project, the two groups expect to contribute to preserving sustainable livestock sectors in their territories. They also intend to address the key issue for the future of French livestock farming, namely the link between animal & vegetal agricultural worlds through a common and shared ambition: to make better use of livestock farmers’ products while creating greater value for the French Farm.
Completion of this acquisition will be subject to an information-consultation process with Axéréal Elevage’s employee representatives as well as to prior approval by the French Competition Authority (Autorité de la Concurrence).
STRENGTHENING LIVESTOCK BREEDING IN LOCAL AREAS
“This project falls fully in line with our growth strategy. It will consolidate our position in the agricultural products and services market, placing Avril more than ever at the junction of animal and vegetal operations. This venture, designed to strengthen livestock breeding in local areas, is at the heart of our commitments and our purpose, Serving the Earth,” said Jean-Philippe PUIG, Chief Executive Officer of Avril.
“At Sanders, we are firmly committed to the future of French livestock farming. We remain convinced that this will be achieved through a more equitable distribution of value and also by decarbonizing the sector to meet the current challenges of climate change and sovereignty. This transaction is a significant step for Sanders and all our teams in the field. Every day, they are mobilizing their efforts in the territories, alongside livestock farmers. This demonstrates our ambition for the future of livestock farming and our commitment to strive, alongside livestock farmers, against any further decapitalization. We will be even stronger in responding together with the Axéréal Elevage teams,” said Philippe Manry, General Manager of Sanders.
Jean-François Loiseau, Chairman of Axéréal, and Paul-Yves L’anthoen, General Manager of Axéréal, added: “Our relationship with Avril goes back a long way, reflected by 25 years of joint development across many markets. Today, our ambition is to enable our animal nutrition operations to benefit from a fresh impetus, essential to the development of these activities, for which it makes good sense to link up with a group that is among the leaders in the sector. By ensuring this future, this long-standing, historical division of Axéréal will be able to maintain and strengthen its regional roots, serving livestock farmers. Axéréal will uphold its commitment to the livestock sector as a French reference supplier of raw material for animal feed, a strategic market for the vegetable production of farmers throughout our region.”
