Global animal nutrition leader Alltech has acquired The E-CO2 Project Limited (E-CO2) – a leading provider of on-farm environmental assessments and programmes – to strengthen its service offering to livestock producers.
The purchase builds on the recent close business partnership forged between the two companies to help farmers make their operations more efficient, profitable and sustainable.
“Carbon and water efficiency are a growing issue within both the food chain and everyday life,” said Dr. Pearse Lyons, president and founder of Alltech. “The acquisition of E-CO2 underscores Alltech’s long-term commitment to strong, sustainable global agriculture, as well as to food quality and safety for an expanding population.”
For more than 17 years – initially through CMS UK Services Ltd – E-CO2 has developed its portfolio of environmental software and services in response to the need to further understand greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and the food chain. Its clients range from small family farms to integrated livestock operations and commercial feed mills, as well as large retailers and processors increasingly under pressure to reduce their environmental footprint and meet government and corporate sustainability targets.
Commenting on the sale, E-CO2 managing director and co-founder Peter Darlington said Alltech was the perfect partner to take the business forward.
“Alltech believes that the future of agriculture depends on solutions that are beneficial to the animal, consumer and environment. And so do we; the E-CO2 team believes passionately that reducing the environmental impact of agriculture involves simultaneously delivering value to the farmer,” he said.
Recent environmental assessment work conducted by Alltech on 58 dairy units across Europe has shown just how much farm efficiency improvements can boost profitability, whilst also reducing the carbon footprint of the enterprise at the same time. In the study, carried out utilising E-CO2 environmental tools, various herd efficiency improvements delivered an extra £204 per cow per year, yet there was a significant drop in the level of CO2 emitted.
Based in Crewe in the UK, E-CO2 will now move forward as Alltech E-CO2. Alltech E-CO2 assessments will continue to determine the environmental impact of a farm as a holistic measure of overall efficiency. Assessments will be directly linked to physical and financial performance, where custom feeding regimes and management practices can be developed to improve farm efficiency and profitability, sustainably.
The acquisition gives Alltech a greater presence on-farm and will foster improved links with state institutions, processors and retailers. Alltech E-CO2 will benefit from access to Alltech’s global operations in 128 countries and its extensive team of scientists, nutritionists and marketing experts. Alltech has three major bioscience centres, complemented by 19 formal research alliances with leading universities and institutions around the world from the United States to China. Alltech E-CO2 will also make its wide and innovative range of products and services available to all of Alltech’s global offices.
