The merger between two of Europe’s – and the world’s – largest dairy companies has received the green light from regulators.
Danish and Swedish company Arla Foods, and German company DMK-Group, which both separately sit within the top 20 dairy companies globally in terms of revenue, first announced the planned merger in April 2025.
The two companies have announced that all necessary regulatory approvals have now been received for their planned merger.
The merger will bring together 11,200 dairy farmers across seven countries.
The companies say the new entity will invest in the scale and resilience of European food production, safeguarding food security and to “nourish a growing global population”.
Merger
The merger is expected to take effect on Monday (June 1), at which point an integration process between the two entities will begin. The new entity will carry the Arla name.
The merger comes after several years of partnership between the two businesses.
Apart from farmers, it will also bring together 28,800 employees globally.
The merger is expected have a total milk pool of 19.4 billion kilogrammes annually, and a revenue of over €20 billion, all under the Arla name.
The two companies say they share a commitment to help co-create and scale solutions that support more resilient food systems, built on operational stability and “a robust cooperative economy that ensures a reliable food supply and a stable foundation for the cooperative farmers”.
Commenting on the finalised merger, Arla chairperson Jan Toft Norgaard, said: “This is a landmark day for our cooperatives, for the next generation of dairy farmers and for European food production.
“Our cooperatives have united farmers for generations and collaboration across borders has never been more important to help feed life across the planet,” Norgaard added.
Heinz Korte, chairperson of DMK Group, said: “We, the farmers, are looking forward to joining forces.
"The strong farmer support shown in the June 2025 votes reflects our commitment to stand together across borders, driven by our shared values and a clear vision for the future of dairy.
“We are building one of the largest communities of farmers in Europe, and from our local roots we can strengthen our global reach and further grow the value of our milk,” Korte added.
The merged entity will be headquartered, as Arla currently is, in the town of Viby in Denmark.
Norgaard will serve as the new entity’s chairperson, and current Arla CEO Peder Turborgh will continue as CEO of the new entity.
Current DMK Group CEO Ingo Muller will be a member of the executive management team and will lead the post merger integration.