Dairy Farmers of Britain has exited Westbury Dairies and cancelled its shares, leaving joint venture partners First Milk and Milk Link now in full control of the facility.
Westbury, which produces milk powder and butter and is regarded as the leading facility in the UK for balancing variable milk supply and dealing with the volatile milk market, has been under joint ownership by the three parties since 2003. The company made a small profit last year.
DFB had stepped down as it now had additional processing capacity elsewhere and did not need to deal with the same volumes of milk during the spring flush, a spokesman said. First Milk now owns two thirds of the shares, with the rest held by Milk Link.
DFB has, however, agreed a supply arrangement with Westbury, giving it limited access to balancing capacity at the site. "The new agreement secures the future of Westbury Dairies and its workforce," Westbury said in a statement.
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