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The planned merger between Arla Foods and DMK Group has received all necessary regulatory approvals, clearing the way for the transaction to complete on 1 June 2026.
The cleared deal unites 11,200 dairy farmers across seven European nations under a single cooperative structure. Operating under the Arla name, the combined business will establish Europe’s leading farmer-owned dairy cooperative, aiming to enhance the scale and resilience of agricultural food production across the continent.
Until the transaction officially takes effect on 1 June, both companies will continue to operate as independent entities.
Scale and Financial Footprint
The completed merger will bring together a combined annual milk pool of 19.4 billion kg and a pro forma revenue of more than €20 billion.
Prior to the merger, the individual companies held the following positions:
Arla Foods: Revenue of €15.1 billion, owned by 7,300 farmers, employing 22,000 colleagues, with an annual milk volume of 14.3 billion kg.
DMK Group: Revenue of €5.3 billion, owned by 3,900 farmers, employing 6,800 colleagues, with an annual milk volume of 5.1 billion kg.
The combined cooperative will employ approximately 28,800 people globally. Leaders from both organisations state that this scale will provide the cooperative with the long-term economic resilience and investment capability required to support transition efforts toward reduced climate and nature impacts across the supply chain.
Leadership and Integration
The merged cooperative will keep its headquarters in Viby J, Denmark. The leadership structure has been confirmed as follows:
Chair: Jan Toft Nørgaard (current Chair of Arla Foods)
Vice Chair: Inger-Lise Sjöström
Chief Executive Officer: Peder Tuborgh (current CEO of Arla Foods)
Ingo Müller, the current CEO of DMK Group, will join the Arla executive management team as Executive Vice President (EVP) of post-merger integration to oversee the transition.
According to Müller, the integration process, starting on 1 June 2026, is expected to improve the combined entity's technological capabilities, accelerate product innovation, and create new growth opportunities by leveraging the complementary strengths and brand portfolios of both businesses.
Enhancing Market Resilience
The consolidation comes at a time of ongoing geopolitical and economic shifts affecting European agricultural markets. Leadership from both cooperatives highlighted that the joint organisation is designed to act as a stabilising force, securing stable dairy production and ensuring a reliable food supply.
For customers across the retail, foodservice, and ingredients sectors, the combined business intends to offer an expanded portfolio of dairy products, increased innovation capacity, and broader collaboration on both brand and private-label solutions.
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