date:May 24, 2012
The combined group will process about 3 billion liters of milk per year, and will have annual turnover of more than 2bn. The proposed merger, however, has to be approved by Milk Link members, the Arla Foods board and the regulatory authorities.
Arla Foods, based in Leeds, is owned by Danish, Swedish and German dairy farmers. It buys 90% of its milk in the UK through a long-term agreement with 1,300 dairy farmers. It owns brands such as Cravendale, Lurpak and Anchor.
Arla Foods UK chief execu