Elanco Animal Health has completed its acquisition of AHV International, a Dutch farm animal health innovator, to expand its dairy market presence and offer dairy producers enhanced solutions for transition cow health, animal welfare, and antibiotic-free disease prevention.
- Acquisition Complete: Elanco finalized the purchase of AHV International, a Dutch innovator in farm animal health solutions.
- Market Impact: The deal strengthens Elanco's global dairy portfolio with products like StopLac for dry-off management and Quorum Sensing Technology for immune-based disease prevention.
- Global Challenge: The World Organization for Animal Health reports 20% of livestock productivity is lost to death and disease annually, affecting food security.
- Antibiotic Alternative: AHV's plant-derived extract technology disrupts biofilm formation, reducing reliance on antibiotics while supporting natural immune response.
- Strategic Goal: Combined expertise aims to enhance global accessibility of dairy health innovations for improved animal welfare and productivity.
Elanco Animal Health has closed its acquisition of AHV International, a Dutch innovator in farm animal health. The acquisition advances Elanco’s presence into the growing global dairy market, offering dairy producers an expanded portfolio of products that support transition cow health, well-being and improve productivity.
“The AHV addition is a strategic fit for Elanco by providing innovative tools for producers and veterinarians to improve the well-being of dairy cows,” said Dr. Ramiro M. Cabral, executive vice president of Elanco International. “AHV’s portfolio meaningfully expands our solutions for sustainability, animal welfare and transition cow health, as well as for retail packaged goods. Together with our dedicated scientific and technical Elanco team, the integration will unite the strengths of both organizations to deliver a comprehensive solution portfolio for our customers.”
While consumer demand for milk and dairy products continues to rise globally, dairy producers worldwide face significant challenges. Increasing accessibility and affordability of dairy products hinges on healthy and productive cows. The World Organization for Animal Health reports 20% of livestock productivity is lost to death and disease annually, impacting global food security and producer profitability.
This acquisition allows Elanco to offer more proactive nutritional health interventions that can be tailored to the individual health of each cow to meet their health and disease prevention needs when they’re most susceptible. For example:
StopLac is designed to reduce milk production in dairy cows during the dry-off process at the end of a lactation cycle.
Additionally, AHV’s Quorum Sensing Technology, based on plant-derived extracts disrupts biofilm formation, exposing pathogens to the animal’s natural immune system. Helping the animal’s own immune system better fight disease reduces the need for antibiotics.
Elanco aims to enhance global accessibility of these innovations. By combining Elanco’s scientific rigor, technical teams and strong distribution experience, these have the potential to become essential tools for the dairy industry, leading to improved animal well-being and further reducing the need for antibiotics on farms.
