French poultry breeders merge activites

Hendrix Genetics and Maïsadour have signed an agreement to merge their respective broiler and guinea fowl breeding and hatching activities in the southwest of France. The merged activities will be conducted under the name Société Landaise d'Aviculture, which will then be renamed Caringa Sud-Ouest at a later date. Hendrix Genetics will have majority control and manage Caringa. The former joint-venture between Maïsadour and Boyé (Terrena), Accouvage Landais, will be absorbed and merged into Caringa Sud-Ouest. The logistic activities in the region will be fully absorbed by ALS, the logistics company of Hendrix Genetics. The merger is effective August 1, 2013.

Jean-Louis Zwick, director of distribution for Groupe Maïsadour, said, "This merger is the product of negotiations that started more than a year ago. It fits our strategy to create vertical aligned value chains but with specialized partners for the parts in which we have not our main focus. With a blocking minority in Caringa Sud-Ouest we have safeguarded our strategic connection and assured good continuation of these activities in our area of operation while we can benefit from the economies of scale and expertise that Hendrix Genetics and Caringa bring in this field. We have got comfortable, as leading cooperative in the southwest of France, to bundle our forces with the pragmatic and business oriented, privately owned, international Hendrix Genetics and have found in Caringa the dedication and professionalism that this business needs to be successful."

Mathieu Lemarié, general manager of Caringa, said, "We announced end of last year that we would transform our broiler distribution activities, at that time called Grelier Poussins Accouveur sas, to a new fifth division in Hendrix Genetics, called Caringa. This division focuses on specialized breeding and distribution for traditional poultry — traditional layers, label and certified broilers, colored turkeys and guinea fowls — and heavy broilers — Cobb. This step with Maïsadour is an exciting development for our company as it means a significant strengthening of our position in traditional poultry in France. It will create economies of scale and market leadership in the southwest of France that forms a strong base for the local market as well as for exports to Italy, Spain and Portugal. We have the right team and strategy to make Caringa Sud-Ouest successful for all stakeholders involved."