The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched an inquiry into the joint venture announced by Cargill and Faccenda Foods on 25 September which will see the companies combine their fresh chicken, turkey and duck activities.
The new joint venture will be a standalone business, with Cargill and Faccenda taking an equal shareholding.
Faccenda’s poultry business consists of laying farms, breeder farms, hatcheries, two feed mills, grow-out facilities and six poultry processing facilities employing 3,600 people. Faccenda sources birds from both independently owned and company owned farms and processes just over 2 million chickens per week and 4.5 million turkeys and 5.5 million ducks per year.
The Cargill fresh chicken business consists of laying farms, breeder farms, hatcheries, a feed mill, grow-out facilities and three poultry processing facilities employing 2,500 people. Cargill sources birds from a network of farms, primarily independently owned and processes approximately 2.1 million birds per week.
According to the CMA’s website, the authority is seeking comments from interested parties up until a deadline of 1 November. The authority will consider all responses by 22 December and make its decision.