Tulip takeover of Easey Holdings approved by CMA
Tulip sought approval from the CMA after announcing its purchase of Easey Holdings in September of this year. The sale included Easey’s four key businesses, breeding herds, growing herds, a veterinary practice and a livestock transport business.
Tulip said the acquisition represented an investment in British farming and inward commitment to the UK by its parent company Danish Crown. It also reinforced the organisation’s commitment to global farming, it claimed.
‘Inward investment into the UK’
Andrew Saunders, agriculture director at Tulip’s farming division, Tulip Agriculture, said: “This is great news for Tulip, for Easey Holdings, for our customers and our consumers. Tulip is a true champion of the UK pig farming industry while Danish Crown remains absolutely committed to continued inward investment into the UK.
“Tulip Agriculture will be working closely with the Easey management team, staff, farmers, suppliers and customers to ensure the continued successful operation of the Easey farming network as part of the Tulip group.”
The acquisition of Easey was part of Tulip’s plan to “Brexit-proof” the company, according to owner Danish Crown.
‘Brexit-proof’
Easey Holdings will continue to operate independently, and all workers will continue their roles at the pig producer, Tulip confirmed. All outstanding customer and supplier contracts and commitments would be honoured, it added.
The deal came after Tulip’s chief executive, Steve Francis, exclusively told FoodManufacture.co.uk it would invest “up to £70M” in acquisitions, equipment and product innovation next year.
Last year, Francis announced a new restructuring plan that saw the business split into four divisions: Tulip Fresh, Tulip Added Value, Tulip Agriculture and Dalehead Foods.
The Tulip chief executive also told Food Manufacture the company had been forced to transport workers from across the country to make up for a shortage of available labour.
Meanwhile, in June, Francis and Danish Crown chief executive Jais Valeur explained how they planned to return the business to the number-one spot in our exclusive interview.
