Danish Crown acquires UK pig producer Easey Holdings
Easey Holdings is a family-owned pig farming operation consisting of four key divisions – breeding herds (sows), growing herds, a veterinary practice and a livestock transport business.
Through its UK division Tulip, Danish Crown has reached an agreement of terms with the current owners of Easey Holdings Ltd and completed the acquisition on Friday 8 September.
The deal is currently awaiting regulatory approval from the Competition & Markets Authority.
According to Danish Crown, this acquisition represents “an investment in British farming and also inward commitment to the UK”.
Andrew Saunders, agriculture director at Tulip Ltd’s farming division, Tulip Agriculture, said: “Customer demand is rising for pigmeat produced to high welfare standards supported by strong provenance credentials. This acquisition forms part of Tulip Ltd’s strategic objective to further support the UK pig farming industry, allowing us to more effectively utilise our skills and expertise, capitalising on our industry-leading best practices which have been developed by farmers, vets and other experts within the organisation.
“We are pleased that the existing management team within Easey Holdings have agreed to remain in place which will ensure we are able to retain the business’ core family values and maintain stability for employees, farmers, suppliers and customers. Easey Holdings will continue to operate independently with all existing employees to be retained. Existing customer and supplier contracts and commitments will also be honoured.”
Jais Valeur, CEO at Danish Crown, added: “Tulip has now successfully completed its profit turnaround and is focusing on cementing the significant progress made during the last year and is planning for the future. This acquisition is in that context and is part of a range of measures designed to Brexit-proof the business.
“This announcement reflects the significant progress being made with Tulip’s new strategic direction, demonstrating the company’s core values – passion for food and passion for farming. I would like to welcome the Easey Holdings team to the family and look forward to working together to share knowledge and best practices as we reaffirm our commitment to best in class UK pig farming.”
