European Commission approves merger between FrieslandCampina & Milcobel

NETHERLANDS – The European Commission has approved the proposed merger between FrieslandCampina and Milcobel.

The European Commission’s investigation concluded that the merger does not pose a significant impediment to competition in relevant markets, including cheese trade and fresh dairy products in the Netherlands, Belgium and France.

This approval is the final required authorisation in a series of notifications submitted to competition authorities worldwide.

With the European Commission’s approval, FrieslandCampina and Milcobel can proceed with preparations for the merger.

On 16 December 2025, the FrieslandCampina Members’ Council and Milcobel’s Extraordinary General Meeting will take the final decision regarding the merger.

The approval comes after FrieslandCampina and Milcobel published the final merger proposal, following their December 2024 announcement of their intention to merge, marking an important milestone on the path towards the planned merger.

The proposal elaborates on the earlier announcement and provides additional information regarding the legal, financial, and operational aspects of the merger.

The merger is intended to create a future-proof organisation that ensures solid earnings for member dairy farmers and their successors, an attractive working place for employees, and high-quality products for customers and consumers.

By combining forces, FrieslandCampina and Milcobel will increase their scale and capacity to invest in productivity, innovation, and sustainability. This will increase their resilience in a dynamic market.

Sybren Attema, Chair of the Board of Zuivelcoöperatie FrieslandCampina U.A., said: “The scale of the new enterprise will safeguard market strength. At the same time, members will retain their control and ownership within the cooperative.

“The strategy remains focused on maximising the value of all member milk, enabling us to continue paying a leading milk price. In doing so, we provide our member dairy farmers with sustainable and stable income — now and in the future.”

In the coming months, the merger proposal will be discussed with the members of both cooperatives.

At FrieslandCampina, this will take place during the autumn member meetings and district councils in October and November.

Milcobel organises open Members’ Circle board meetings in September and October, in conjunction with the Cooperative Council’s discussion.

Betty Eeckhaut, Chair of the Board of Milcobel, added: “This step has been taken with the future of our member dairy farmers and employees in mind. The merger with FrieslandCampina strengthens our position and provides greater security in a highly competitive dairy environment”

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