Ancare And Merial Join Forces

News Release

For immediate release

October 25, 2007

Ancare And Merial Join Forces

Animal health product companies Ancare and Merial have joined forces to become one organisation.

Ancare managing director Colin Harvey has signed a deal that includes all of Ancare’s IP and assets in New Zealand and in offshore markets including Australia. 

The research and development arm of Ancare has been split from the commercial operations and will operate as an entity called Ancare Scientific owned by Colin Harvey.  Ancare Scientific will develop products for Merial to be marketed globally. 

Harvey says the coming together of Ancare and Merial is a major success story for a New Zealand business, particularly as products developed and manufactured in New Zealand will gain entry to major world markets.

He says Ancare has been successful in terms of how it has marketed itself and the products it has developed. 

“We’ve concentrated on overcoming a number of major problems in agriculture with the most important being the emergence of parasite resistance to existing products.  We’ve done this by developing a range of novel products specifically targeted to local conditions. 

“What we are essentially doing is linking all of these innovative ideas to the world’s strongest parasiticide distribution network which is what Merial has.  This collective effort allows us to concentrate the attack on parasites and parasite resistance, which will be of great benefit to farmers.

“So for us it is a pipeline to the world for our innovations. And that has really been the major driving force for me as it allows us to finish the job we’ve started.  Obviously it needs structure and so there is logic in combining the businesses together in New Zealand and Australia.”

He says the fact a technology-based New Zealand company has attracted the interest of one of the world’s leading animal health companies is a tribute to the successful product range and manufacturing systems Ancare has created over the past 20 years.

Since Ancare was founded in 1985, the company has grown to be a market leader in several New Zealand animal health categories.

Managing Director for Merial Oceania, Steve Rochester, says Ancare has shown New Zealand can develop products and services that make others in the world sit up and take notice.

“Ancare is a strong brand in New Zealand. There are many aspects of Ancare’s operations that we admire tremendously. It is our intention to utilise the best of both companies.”

Rochester points to the creation of Ancare Scientific as a significant outcome of the acquisition for New Zealand agriculture.

 “Ancare Scientific will have the advantage of Ancare’s New Zealand experience and proven innovation, combined with Merial’s international research resources.

He says Ancare Scientific will enable Colin Harvey to focus his energies in the field of animal health research, which has always been his passion.

“Colin has been a tremendous contributor to New Zealand agriculture and we are pleased that as part of this deal New Zealand will benefit further from his work.”

The combined company will be able to offer a full range of products across all categories of animal health products for livestock and a broad range of pet treatments such as market leader Frontline Plus.

END

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