The merger between FrieslandCampina and the Belgian dairy cooperation Milcobel has been given the final green light. The FrieslandCampina Members’ Council and the Milcobel Extraordinary General Meeting voted in favor by a large majority.
New Flemish and Walloon districts
From 1 January 2026, all Milcobel member dairy farmers will become members of FrieslandCampina, one year after the announcement of the merger. From then on, they will subject to the same rights, obligations, and milk pricing system as existing cooperative members.
In terms of leadership, the merged company has opted for continuity: Sybren Attema will remain chairman of both the cooperative board and the supervisory board of FrieslandCampina. Betty Eeckhaut will join the cooperative board and will be given a seat on the supervisory board. Jan Derck van Karnebeek will remain as CEO. Former Milcobel CEO Peter Grugeon will start as president of the Professional business group in April and will join the executive team.
The merger will nevertheless lead to a redrawing of the cooperative structure: FrieslandCampina is establishing two new districts for the new Flemish and Walloon farmers. Milcobel-West will largely cover West and East Flanders, while Milcobel-East will be the district for the remainder of Flanders and the French-speaking Belgian regions. Each district will have a council of eight to ten elected dairy farmers.
