Deloitte Legal advises their client Milcobel in the cross-border merger with FrieslandCampina

On 22 October 2025, the European Commission officially approved the cross-border merger between the dairy cooperatives Milcobel and Zuivelcoöperatie FrieslandCampina.

Deloitte Legal is proud to have advised their client Milcobel on this transaction, which marks an important step towards creating an international and future-oriented dairy organization to navigate the global dairy market.

The Corporate and M&A department, including David Roelens, Kristof Maresceau, Véronique Van Eessel and Sébastien Dieleman, advised Milcobel in the drafting and negotiation of contractual documentation and various other corporate workstreams.

From the EU & Competition practice, Richard Steppe, Elise Verdingh, Julie Pinte and Gisèle Deboutte supported Milcobel in the preparation of the merger control, FSR and FDI notifications to the European Commission and in various EU and non-EU jurisdictions.

The Global Business Tax team, including Glenn Verstraelen, Stijn Louwagie and Seppe Heijens, advised on relevant tax aspects of the cross-border merger structure.

The resulting merged entity will be owned by approximately 16.000 member dairy farmers across Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Northern France, operating in 30 countries and employing nearly 22.000 staff worldwide. The transaction generates opportunities for key market segments including consumer cheese, mozzarella, and ingredients such as milk powder. The integration is also expected to yield considerable operational efficiencies and synergies across the supply chain.