Press release
Nutrition & Care
December 19, 2016

Evonik ends cooperation with Chr. Hansen in the area of probiotics for animal nutrition

Essen, Germany. Evonik Industries and the Danish company Chr. Hansen plan to end their cooperation in the Asia Pacific region effective December 31, 2016. Evonik had been a distributor for Chr. Hansen's probiotic feed additives for swine and poultry feed in the region since 2012.

"We enjoyed a highly trusting partnership with Chr. Hansen, but want to be active in the probiotics market with our own products in the future," said Dr. Emmanuel Auer, the head of the Animal Nutrition Business Line at Evonik, to explain the decision.

Evonik acquired the probiotics business of the Spanish company NOREL in the summer of 2016. The transaction added two probiotic animal nutrition products to the specialist company’s feed amino acids portfolio: Ecobiol® (Bacillus amyloliquefaciens) for broilers, and Fecinor® (Enterococcus faecium) for piglet breeding. More products are expected to follow.

Probiotics are living microorganisms, which are administered with the feed and have been proven to show health-promoting effects in the gastrointestinal tract of humans and animals. They play an important role in livestock breeding as natural alternatives to antibiotics and antibiotic growth promoters.

"We aim to offer the most comprehensive range of solutions for healthy and sustainable animal nutrition by including probiotics", says Auer.

Evonik’s Animal Nutrition Business Line has over 60 years of experience in the manufacture of essential amino acids and provides solutions for efficient and sustainable animal nutrition to customers in over one hundred countries. Evonik wants to make an even greater contribution to the efficiency of animal feed by supplementing its portfolio with innovative feed additives beyond amino acids in order to create additional value for its customers. Evonik’s products and services in the area of animal nutrition play a key role worldwide in the production of healthy and affordable food, while preserving natural resources and reducing the ecological footprint.

Company information

Evonik, the creative industrial group from Germany, is one of the world leaders in specialty chemicals, operating in the Nutrition & Care, Resource Efficiency and Performance Materials segments. The company benefits from its innovative prowess and integrated technology platforms. In 2015 more than 33,500 employees generated sales of around €13.5 billion and an operating profit (adjusted EBITDA) of about €2.47 billion.

About Nutrition & Care

The Nutrition & Care segment is led by Evonik Nutrition & Care GmbH and contributes to fulfilling basic human needs. That includes applications for everyday consumer goods as well as animal nutrition and health care. This segment employed about 7,000 employees, and generated sales of around
€4.9 billion in 2015.

Disclaimer

In so far as forecasts or expectations are expressed in this press release or where our statements concern the future, these forecasts, expectations or statements may involve known or unknown risks and uncertainties. Actual results or developments may vary, depending on changes in the operating environment. Neither Evonik Industries AG nor its group companies assume an obligation to update the forecasts, expectations or statements contained in this release.