One of Europe’s largest pig-producing cooperatives is being proposed in France from the merger of operations of co-ops Cap 50, CAM and Terrena. The proposal is due to go to a vote of members by the end of 2015.
If an agreement is reached, it would create a group of 420 producers with a combined output of 960,000 pigs per year.
Cap 50 is based near Saint Lô and is a specialist pigs-only co-operative of 120 farmers, delivering 360,000 pigs annually and with an annual turnover of EUR65 million (US$73 million). CAM is a multi-species co-op for 4,000 farmers in the Mayenne region around Laval, with sales of EUR300 million (US$337 million). About 120 of these farms produce pork, marketing 200,000 pigs in 2014.
An associated segment of the large national co-op Terrena produces 400,000 pigs per year at 180 farms.
A merger is seen is as benefitting members principally through a sharing of operating costs.
