Mega fusion: Arla and DMK combine 12,000 dairy farmers in Lower Saxony!

Mega fusion: Arla and DMK combine 12,000 dairy farmers in Lower Saxony!

On June 18, 2025, an important day for dairy farmers in Europe: Arla Foods and the DMK Group have decided on separate meetings a merger, which will result in the largest whey cooperative in the continent. With a large majority, the dairy farmers of both cooperatives agreed to the plans, which could pave the way for a new chapter in milk production. Über 200 Milchbauern trafen sich in Hannover, um an der Abstimmung teilzunehmen, wie az-online.de berichtet.

The merger, which was announced in April 2025, is expected to create a company called Arla that includes more than 12,000 farmers. This number is made up of around 4,600 dairy farmers from the DMK Group and around 7,600 by ARLA. DMK is based in Zeven, Lower Saxony, while Arla is at home in Viby, Denmark. The latter should also be the headquarters of the merged company.

strong base of partnership

The new partners rely on a solid milk supply chain and a strong financial basis for future investments. In addition to the announcement of the merger, Arla and DMK have already worked together in the past, for example in the Arnoco project, the whey converting the whey into high -quality products. The merger is celebrated by Jan Toft Nørgaard, CEO of Arla, as well as by Heinz Korte, CEO of the DMK Group, as an exciting opportunity that brings advantages for consumers and farmers, how arla.com notes.

With an annual turnover of almost 19 billion euros, the two cooperatives will develop a market thickness that should not be underestimated. This robust position will expand both the production capacities and the range of the products. Peder Tuborgh, CEO of Arla, emphasizes how complementary the strengths of both cooperatives are.

future -proof perspectives

The merger still has to be approved by the EU competition authority, a process that could take advantage of by the end of March 2026. Until then, Arla and DMK will work independently. The dairy farmers were optimistic in the votes: the merger of the two dairy groups promises a better position in the market and larger security reserves for the future.

The DMK Group is considered the largest whey cooperative in Germany, while Arla is rooted in Denmark. This combination could change the face of European milk production sustainably, because with a total number of over 28,700 employees, a significant amount of knowledge and experience will flow into the new organization. The participants are determined to actively help shape the dairy world of tomorrow, which also becomes clear in the press release of the [digitalmagazin.de] (https://www.digitalmagazin.de/marken/agrarheute/magazin/2025-knapp/008_mega- fusion).

The next steps have already been scheduled: The decision -making process by the representative assembly of the two cooperatives took place on June 17 and 18, and the final approval of the regulatory authorities is expected by the end of 2025. The anticipation for the new future of dairy farmers is noticeable, and in the coming months it will be shown how the cooperation between farmers gains driving.