Vion sells two more German meat plants

Vion Food Group is selling 2 much slaughterhouses successful Germany arsenic portion of a “strategic realignment” towards the Benelux region.

On Friday (17 April), the Dutch nutrient processor said it had entered a main commercialized statement to divest its Waldkraiburg and Crailsheim sites to Boeser Frischfleisch and OSI Europe Foodworks, respectively.

The facilities successful confederate Germany were antecedently acceptable to beryllium sold to Premium Food Group, formerly known arsenic Tönnies.

However, Germany’s contention regulator blocked that woody successful June, informing it would harm farmers and smaller rivals.

Premium Food Group said it would situation the determination successful German courts but, successful November, projected that rival processor Westfleisch measurement successful instead.

The disposals of the Waldkraiburg beef works and the Crailsheim pork and beef installation are besides taxable to regulatory approval.

Vion said it selected the caller buyers based connected their “strong semipermanent committedness and the quality to put successful a sustainable aboriginal for the sites”.

The institution added that “the locations progressive clasp important strategical worth for the acquiring parties, supporting their continued improvement and integration”.

The transactions are structured arsenic stock deals, with fiscal presumption remaining undisclosed.

The Crailsheim installation slaughters astir 1 cardinal pigs and 95,000 cattle per twelvemonth and employs 593 people, Vion said.

Meanwhile, the Waldkraiburg works slaughters astir 163,000 cattle annually and has 338 employees.

The completion of the deals is expected successful the "coming months", Vion said, contingent connected getting regulatory and antitrust approvals.

Vion began closing nutrient assets successful Germany successful 2023 and a twelvemonth aboriginal announced plans to exit the German marketplace entirely.

In 2024, the past Tönnies Group reached a woody to get Vion’s cattle slaughterhouse and pre-packed installation successful Altenburg, Thuringia, on with Ahlener Fleischhandel, a ham processing works successful Westphalia.

However, Premium Food Group announced plans to shutter the ham accumulation tract successful May.

In January, Vion said it volition “permanently” adjacent its deboning installation successful Hilden aft regulators blocked its projected sale, affecting 160 employees.

Evaluation of Vion’s remaining German sites is ongoing, with the purpose of identifying “sustainable semipermanent solutions”, the institution said connected Friday.

It added that respective parties person expressed “strong strategical interest” successful the Buchloe beef facility. For the BestHides operations successful Memmingen and Eching-Weixerau, the institution is exploring “alternative” options.

Just Food has asked Vion to corroborate what the options are for Memmingen and Eching-Weixerau and whether immoderate occupation losses are anticipated from the disposal of the Waldkraiburg and Crailsheim sites.