AB Foods completes acquisition of agri-tech firm National Milk Records
10th August 2023
Having signed a £48 million deal in June, AB Agri (part of Associated British Foods) has now completed the acquisition of National Milk Records (NMR), the primary supplier of management information and testing services to the UK dairy supply chain.
NMR carries out milk testing and data collection covering over 50% of dairy cows in the UK, developing technology used to inform farming efficiency and animal welfare, and quantify food provenance.
Milk samples are regularly collected from virtually every dairy farm in Great Britain, positioning the firm as a well-known and respected voice across the dairy sector.
NMR has a long history of working collaboratively with key industry players, including dairy farmers, vets, milk processors, third party suppliers, and major retailers, and will continue to invest in new products and services, notably genomics and GenoCells.
Commenting on the acquisition, AB Agri CEO José Nobre said: “I am delighted that AB Agri has acquired NMR. NMR is a high-quality business which is extremely complementary and additive to our dairy strategy and offering to the dairy industry.
“We have supported dairy farmers for more than 30 years with nutrition and specialty feed products, and more recently with data and technology platforms which deliver insights that create continuous improvement in agricultural supply chains,” he added.
NMR finance director, Mark Frankcom, said the acquisition is an important milestone for the business and it will not affect how the company deals with its customers, partners, or suppliers, with business continuing as usual.
He commented: “I am delighted that AB Agri has acquired NMR. AB Agri’s status within the UK agricultural sector and expertise in the dairy industry will provide a significant benefit to NMR’s customers.
“As the UK dairy supply chain continues its drive to carbon neutrality, NMR’s work with GenoCells and milk data, and our pivotal role in payment testing, will contribute important information to aid in this transition.
“The backing of AB Agri will accelerate and de-risk NMR’s ability to deliver its strategic objectives, streamlining industry processes by creating a holistic business that can provide end-to-end data and analysis to ensure the long-term sustainability, efficiency and profitability of UK dairy.”
