Nutreco Acquires Maple Leaf Animal Nutrition

Nutreco International B.V. acquired Canada's leading animal nutrition business from Maple Leaf Foods Inc. on July 20, 2007 for approximately $500 million. As part of the transaction, Nutreco sold the acquired Canadian acquaculture feed business to Cooke Aquaculture Inc. The acquired business – through its well-known Shur-Gain brand in eastern Canada and Landmark brand in western Canada – is the leader in animal nutrition technology and offers a wide range of products such as complete feeds, premixes, feed specialty products, feed additives and pet food. Nutreco is a leading international animal nutrition company based in the Netherlands with operations in approximately 20 countries.

Nutreco was represented by in-house lawyer Olof Mollerstrom, supported by Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP with a team that included, in Canada, Terry Burgoyne, Roula Eatrides and Natasha Hutchinson (corporate); Peter Glossop and Shuli Rodal (competition); Monica Biringer and Tania Ng (tax); Doug Rienzo and Louise Greig (pension and benefits); Pamela Leiper and Sven Poysa (employment); Heather McKean, Stephen Morris, Neil Bindman, Myriam Sarrazin and Mitchell Shein (real estate); Dan Kirby (environmental); Patricia Wilson (regulatory); Lee Webster and Leigh Walters (intellectual property); Simon Hodgett (information technology) and Paola Guido (corporate services); and in the United States, Paul Seraganian (tax), Jason Comerford (corporate), Sandra Cohen and Heidi Winzeler (employment, pension and benefits).

Maple Leaf Foods Inc. was represented by Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP, with a team that included Frank Guarascio, Bryson Stokes, Cheryl Satin, Stefan Timms and Joyce McGuiney (corporate); Brian Facey and Crystal Witterick (competition); Paul Tamaki and Andrew Spiro (tax); Randy Bauslaugh and Paul Dimitriadis (pension and benefits); Abdul-Basit Khan (employment), Joan Kennedy and Larry Winton (real estate); Robert Fishlock (environmental); Gary Daniel (intellectual property); and Richard Owens (information technology). Nixon Peabody LLP provided US advice with a team comprised of John Koeppel and Jeffrey LaBarge (corporate); and Mark Foster (tax).

Ed Vandenberg of Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP acted for Nutreco on the sale of the acquaculture feed business. Cooke Acquaculture was represented by its general counsel, Christopher Borden, with support from Rodney Gould at Stewart McKelvey LLP.