The FrieslandCampina Members’ Council and the Extraordinary General Meeting of Milcobel have approved the proposed merger of the two dairy cooperatives. Both votes passed by a large majority. The merger will take effect on 1 January 2026.
The decision brings together the Netherlands-based FrieslandCampina and Belgian cooperative Milcobel, creating a larger, more integrated dairy group with stronger scale across Europe.
FrieslandCampina said the merger is aimed at strengthening market positions and improving long-term stability for member dairy farmers. Milcobel members will become full cooperative members of FrieslandCampina from January, with the same rights, obligations, and milk price system as existing members.
Sybren Attema will remain Chair of the Board of Zuivelcoöperatie FrieslandCampina U.A. and Chair of the Supervisory Board of Royal FrieslandCampina N.V. Betty Eeckhaut will join the Cooperative’s Board and take a seat on FrieslandCampina’s Supervisory Board.
Jan Derck van Karnebeek will continue as CEO of Royal FrieslandCampina N.V. Peter Grugeon, former CEO of Milcobel, will become President of the Professional business group from 1 April 2026 and join the Executive Team. He succeeds Roger Loo, who will move into the role of President of Specialised Nutrition. Harvey Uong will leave the company as of the same date.
From a Belgian perspective, the merger reshapes the cooperative landscape in key dairy regions and strengthens FrieslandCampina’s position alongside the wider Belgian fresh produce market, where retailers depend on stable, large-scale supplier networks.
Two new districts will be created within FrieslandCampina. Milcobel-West (District 15) will cover Northeast Flanders, the Bruges area, Westhoek, Southwest Flanders, and Southeast Flanders. Milcobel-East (District 16) will include Kempenland, Northwest Antwerp, Limburg & Brabant, and the Cercle Francophone.
The district councils will be led by Bram Maes in the west and Vanessa Tindemans-Van Eynde in the east. Each council will have eight to ten elected dairy farmers and will act as the main contact point for members in its area.
Milcobel’s business units will be integrated into FrieslandCampina’s existing business groups. The combined organisation says this will allow faster responses to market demand, broader product development, and greater investment capacity.
For the Netherlands, the merger further consolidates FrieslandCampina’s role among leading Dutch supermarket suppliers, reinforcing its importance to retail, private label, and foodservice customers across Northern Europe.
The company’s headquarters will remain in Amersfoort, and the merged group will operate as a single, internationally active dairy cooperative from the start of 2026.
