Primark owner Associated British Foods has agreed to buy Chippenham-based dairy technology firm National Milk Records for £48m.

AB Foods said the deal would boost its agriculture-food arm AB Agri, which works with more than 2,000 UK dairy farms and employs 3,000 staff across 80 countries.

Last month NMR, which provides milk recording and cow health monitoring services to farmers and the dairy industry, posted an increase in profits of a little over 15 per cent to £6.482m for the quarter ending in March. AB Foods owns household names including Twinings, Ovaltine, Kingsmill, and Jordans.

Trevor Lloyd, Chairman of NMR, said:

'I am pleased to announce ABF's intention to acquire NMR. ABF's and AB Agri's status within the UK agricultural sector and expertise in the dairy industry will provide a significant benefit to NMR's customers. As the UK dairy supply chain continues its drive to carbon neutrality, NMR's work with GenoCells and milk data, and our pivotal role in payment testing, will contribute important information to aid in this transition.'

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