Ebco (Holdings), based in Bilbrough, North Yorkshire, has acquired the business and assets of five poultry farms from Sullivans Poultry Group, a subsidiary of Peterborough-based national pig and poultry animal feed company ABN.

The five poultry farms in Cambridge, Workshop and Riccall, near York, have been acquired in a multi-million pound deal. Ebco, which was founded in 2002, rears chickens for meat rather than for eggs. The chickens are then sold, through an intermediary, to supermarkets throughout the UK.

Director Edward Barker said: "This is our biggest acquisition to date and a major deal for Ebco. We took this step because there is a serious future in the UK poultry industry for good quality medium-to-large independent enterprises.

"This deal enables us to move from being a medium sized independent poultry producer into one of the largest independent nationals able to provide a high-quality, high-volume weekly supply. It means we can go forward with real excitement about our future."

Source: Yorkshire Post