A joint venture (J-V) agreement was signed between Huadu and Ceva Santé Animale to create Beijing Ceva Huadu Biological Co. Ltd. She Feng, General Manager of Huadu Bio, and Dr Marc Prikazsky, Chairman and CEO of Ceva, signed the contract as the representatives of the two companies.

CAG Huadu Group is a subsidiary of Beijing Capital Agribusiness Group (CAG) with business activities focused in food, poultry production operations and biopharmaceutical industries. The group has a leading position in China's day-old chick, broiler breeder, layer and poultry vaccine markets, with annual sales of 120 million layer chicks, seven billion doses of vaccine and the capacity to process 110 million broilers each year.

Ceva is a major international animal health company specialised in the production of biologicals and pharmaceutical products. It has business in over 110 countries, with a direct presence in 40 and a network of R&D and production centers throughout the world.

The two parties will invest in the form of assets, technology, as well as cash. The J-V company will be located at the Beijing Daxing Bio-Pharmaceutical base and is scheduled to start operations by January 2012, producing and marketing advanced veterinary vaccine products.

Beijing Ceva Huadu Biological Co. Ltd will upgrade the current production processes, introducing the most advanced equipment and technology, to produce products of the highest international standards. The aim is to become China's leading producer of vaccines for food producing animals with a full package of products and services based on a comprehensive biological R&D programme.

The overall objective of the J-V is to be a highly reliable partner to help China's pig, poultry and livestock producers face the increasing number of major disease challenges The CAG Huadu Group shares Ceva's vision to go 'Together, beyond animal health' by helping to secure the supply of protein production, ensure food safety and therefore help feed a growing global population.