INTERVIEW FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE May 2023 51 Mr. Houdart, Cargill recently made a remarkable investment by acquiring Delacon, a feed additives company. What was Cargill's purpose and target when making this investment? After a successful five-year partnership, Cargill and Delacon will build upon their combined deep history and long-term commitment to scientifically driven, sustainable customer solutions focused on animal health, feed efficiency, and performance. The acquisition combines Cargill’s global network and deep expertise in animal nutrition technologies with Delacon’s pioneering knowledge and market experience in phytogenic feed additives, a category that uses a broad range of herbs, plants and their extracts, such as essential oils, to improve livestock and aquaculture performance and promote animal health. We’re excited to expand our animal nutrition offerings with science-proven additives. With the addition of Delacon’s plant-based phytogenic products, Cargill is further committed to research, innovation, sustainability and collaboration in the digestive and immune health space and becoming the global market leader in additives. Delacon is known for its natural and plant-based feed additives. What does this additive group, which Delacon calls phytogenics, mean for Cargill? The term phytogenics was coined by Delacon’s founders in the 1980s. Phytogenics are standardized, specific and science-based combinations of bioactive compounds found in plants with proven efficacy and a sustainable impact on animals, people and/or the environment. They can have a positive effect on nutrient digestibility, performance, support resilience, and at the same time contribute to minimizing the excretion of nutrients into the environment. Delacon’s library of phytogenic ingredients, databases and innovation engine, coupled with Cargill’s innovation engine and knowledge in pre-, pro- and postbiotics provide a good combination of skills and capabilities to solve the bigger animal health challenges. Our customers face increased complexity as they balance animal health and welfare, performance, and business economics while reducing their environmental footprint. By taking Delacon’s phytogenic feed additives expertise and leveraging Cargill resources, capabilities, and geographical footprint, we are making phytogenic feed additives more available globally and have expanded our toolbox to provide customers with tailored products and solutions to maximize animal productivity through nutrition and digestive health and science-based feed additives. As you mentioned earlier, you had a partnership with Delacon before the acquisition process began. Can you tell us about this partnership process? What was the scope of the partnership and what did you do together in this period? How did this process evolve into purchasing? Initially announced in July 2017, the collaboration with Delacon included a minority equity investment from Cargill to advance the market presence of natural, plant-based feed additives on a global scale, and meet changing consumer preferences of what animals are fed and how food is produced. The
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