Poultry feed manufacturer 2Agriculture, part of the Boparan Holdings group that includes the 2Sisters poultrymeat business, has completed its acquisition of the Radstock feedmill in Somerset from ForFarmers.
However, the company’s other potential purchase, ForFarmers’ Burston Mill in east Norfolk, is still subject to a Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) decision.
ForFarmers and 2Agriculture had proposed a merger in July 2022, but this was abandoned in early 2023 after the CMA required an in-depth Phase 2 investigation of the proposal’s competition implications.
In February 2024, ForFarmers announced the consolidation of its operating footprint, largely in response to declining national pig feed volumes, with the divestment of two feed mills – Radstock and Burston. A CMA investigation was launched into Boparan’s successful offer for the two sites. In November, the Authority wrote it had no plausible competition concerns over the acquisition of the Radstock Mill by Boparan since the mill competes in separate local markets.
However, the concerns over Burston remain, since 2Agriculture already has two mills in Norfolk at Stoke Ferry and Bawsey. The CMA concluded that an additional facility there could lead to a substantial lessening of competition in the supply of poultry feed to independent customers in East Anglia. Therefore, it has opened a Phase 2 investigation of the Burston Mill acquisition.
“I am pleased to confirm that 2Agriculture completed the acquisition of the Radstock feed mill from ForFarmers in late December 2024,” comments 2Agriculture managing director Kevin Sketcher. “We are delighted to bring our industry leading poultry diets to a new area of the country and look forward supplying new customers in the region.
“Our proposed purchase of the Burston mill in East Anglia is currently being investigated by the CMA.”