Sanders enters into exclusive negotiations to take over Soufflet Agriculture's animal nutrition operations

The Avril subsidiary Sanders announced today that it has entered into exclusive negotiations with Soufflet Agriculture of the InVivo group to take over its animal nutrition operations, including at the Talmont-Saint-Hilaire (Vendée) site.

Sanders and Soufflet Agriculture have been partners since 2005, and this project reaffirms their joint commitment to strive for dynamic livestock industries in France and food sovereignty.

This operation is fully aligned with Sanders' strategy to support breeders — it provides them with the means to remain a firm part of their communities and strengthens the plant-animal link, thereby boosting the sustainability of livestock industries.

According to Philippe Manry, General Manager of Sanders, "This acquisition would see Soufflet Agriculture's historical activities at the Talmont-Saint-Hilaire site continue. At Sanders, we operate across all communities in order to boost their breeding industries. In particular, this project forms part of Sanders' activities aimed at securing the future of the milk and beef cattle industries".  

Christophe Passelande, Chief Executive Officer of Soufflet Agriculture, said that, "Sanders' acquisition of our animal nutrition business would represent a continuation of the partnership between Avril and the InVivo group that dates back to 2005. Soufflet Agriculture's animal nutrition operations are renowned for the expertise that goes into them and their formulations, which enable the company to offer solutions that match breeders' specific objectives. This project would harness the expertise of the existing teams and strengthen Sanders' market position".  

Soufflet Agriculture sells 70,000 tonnes of compound feed in France, primarily in Vendée.

Soufflet Agriculture's animal nutrition operations involve 21 employees, including 11 technical sales representatives. The renowned technical expertise of the team in beef cattle will be seen throughout France.

The Talmont-Saint-Hilaire industrial site, which manufactures 45,000 tonnes of mash per year, will enable Sanders to improve its range of high-performance solutions for all its breeder customers. All current contracts with Soufflet Agriculture's partner breeders will, of course, remain in effect under their existing terms.

The completion of this operation is subject to the process of informing and consulting with staff representatives, as well as to the authorisation of the competition authority.