KNW advised Cedrob S.A. on the acquisition of part of the assets of Agri Plus and Animex Foods
The firm provided comprehensive legal support for Cedrob S.A.’s acquisition of part of the assets of Agri Plus and Animex Foods – from due diligence, through merger clearance, to closing.
Nowakowski i Wspólnicy (KNW) had the privilege of providing comprehensive legal support for one of the most significant transactions on the Polish agri-food market in recent years – the acquisition by Cedrob S.A. of organised parts of the businesses of Agri Plus Sp. z o.o. and Animex Foods Sp. z o.o.
The process, concluded with the signing of the agreement on 30 May 2025, is a key step in Cedrob’s strategy of further vertical integration and strengthening its position as a leader in the poultry industry.
Scope of KNW’s work
The KNW team was responsible for the full legal support of the transaction, including:
- due diligence of the assets to be acquired, including poultry hatcheries, a feather and down production plant and selected assets of a slaughterhouse,
- drafting and negotiating the transaction documentation,
- support in obtaining merger clearance from the President of the Polish competition authority (UOKiK),
- regulatory and contractual advice on the transfer of more than 100 employees of the acquired plants,
- comprehensive legal support for the closing, finalising the acquisition of the assets by Cedrob.
The UOKiK decision and the significance of the transaction
Cedrob filed the merger notification in March 2025. Having analysed in detail the impact of the acquisition on the market, the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection cleared the concentration on 19 May 2025.
The acquired assets include, among others:
- goose hatcheries in Bielsk Podlaski and Siemiatycze,
- a goose feather production plant in Dobczyce,
- a sewing plant in Kawiec,
- selected assets of the Animex Foods slaughterhouse.
The acquisition will allow Cedrob to increase control over the early stages of waterfowl production, expand its product range and optimise processes across the supply chain.
Comprehensive advice for a market leader
For years Cedrob has been developing a vertically integrated model – from feed production, through breeding and hatching, to meat processing and distribution. The transaction with Animex Foods and Agri Plus is a natural stage of this strategy, and carrying it out required multi-faceted legal support.
Thanks to the KNW team’s experience in M&A, competition law and agri-food regulation, the process was carried out efficiently and in line with the applicable legal requirements, allowing Cedrob to close the transaction quickly.
Summary
Advising on Cedrob’s acquisition of part of the assets of Animex Foods and Agri Plus is an example of a complex transactional project in which KNW acted as legal adviser from the beginning to the end of the process. Our support enabled the successful completion of one of the most important transactions in the agri-food sector in 2025.