MEGA to build Europe’s most modern compound feed plant in Eberswalde

Purchase of land finalised / investment totalling € 17.5 million / production in line with the criteria of the poultry brand WIESENHOF / focus on salmonella-free feed and hygiene

Rechterfeld / Eberswalde, 12 May 2009. The compound feed producer, MEGA Tierernährung GmbH & Co. KG, which is part of the PHW Group, is set to establish a major compound feed plant in Eberswalde. On 12 May 2009, the first step was taken whereby a contract of purchase for an area of land covering 2 hectares directly on the port grounds was signed with Technische Werke Eberswalde GmbH. This is now the location for Europe’s most modern compound feed plant designed according to the very latest technical know-how and due for completion by 2011. MEGA has been producing poultry feed at an adjacent leased site since the end of 2006. “The outstanding logistics facilities available here were an additional reason for choosing Eberswalde”, stressed Dr Wolfgang Heinzl, Managing Director of MEGA. The site is located directly on the Oder-Havel canal and also has a rail connection.

Just like the poultry brand WIESENHOF, MEGA also belongs to the PHW Group and forms an integral link in the chain according to the “single source” principle. This means: farmers who produce for WIESENHOF exclusively source their feed from one of the five MEGA plants, thereby guaranteeing that only safe and controlled feed is used. 

For the most part, the feed is based on domestic raw materials which the rearing farms procure from the company’s own feedmills. By carrying out comprehensive tests and controls, MEGA is able to implement its strict policy of only purchasing and processing genetically unmodified (GMO-free) raw materials such as soya.

A further key factor is salmonella-free feed, which is crucial in minimising the salmonella load in livestock. MEGA only supplies feed which passes the stringent quality tests specified by WIESENHOF. 

MEGA expects construction to take approx. two years to complete following the ground-breaking ceremony scheduled to take place in summer 2009. MEGA will invest a total of € 17.5 million in the Eberswalde location. The federal state of Brandenburg has also agreed to provide funding. As of 2011, the company plans to produce around 180,000 tonnes of compound feed at this plant and will set new European standards in terms of both hygiene and feed safety.

The PHW Group had a total of 4,761 employees in 2007/2008 and recorded a turnover of € 1.93 billion at the end of the last financial year. In 2007/2008, MEGA achieved a turnover of € 357.7 million.