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European Commission approves Elanco's acquisition of Bayer Animal Health
"We look forward to turning our full attention to delivering innovation"  - Jeff Simmons, Elanco.

Approval "an important milestone" toward completion.

The proposed acquisition of Bayer's animal health division by Elanco has been approved by the European Commission (EC).

In a press release, Elanco said that it continues to progress toward a mid-year closing, anticipated August 3, 2020. The deal, valued at $7.6 billion, would see Elanco become the second largest company in the animal health sector.

“Approval from the European Commission is an important milestone toward the completion of our acquisition of Bayer Animal Health," commented Jeff Simmons, president and CEO of Elanco.

“As the transaction edges closer to fruition, we look forward to turning our full attention to delivering innovation and an expanded portfolio of solutions for farmers, veterinarians and pet owners across the globe."

Elanco previously announced divestiture agreements, in the range of $120 million to $140 million, to help advance the needed regulatory reviews. The EC’s approval is conditional on several of these proposed divestitures, including:

  • divestiture of the worldwide rights for Osurnia® to Dechra Pharmaceuticals
  • divestiture of the worldwide rights for Vecoxan® to Merck Animal Health
  • divestiture of European Economic Area and UK rights to the Drontal® and Profender® product families, and related pipeline assets, from Bayer Animal Health to Vetoquinol.
     
Mr Simmons continued: “The recent months have only underscored the critical work our farmers do in delivering meat, milk, fish and eggs, and the importance of providing pet owners and veterinarians with a variety of solutions in multiple channels from telemedicine and e-commerce to direct home delivery. Combining Bayer Animal Health’s leadership in these areas better positions Elanco to deliver on these needs.”

 

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Voting opens for BEVA Council

News Story 1
 Eligible members of BEVA will be able to vote for their Council team until Monday, 17 August 2026. Members will have received an election email on 17 July.

There are five candidates standing for four available places on Council. They are:

  • Alexandre Triguino
  • Angela Jones
  • Beth Bryant
  • Holly Rees
  • Hugh Somerville
Full profiles for each candidate can be found on the BEVA website. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
Government releases latest bluetongue statistics

APHA has confirmed the number of bluetongue cases that have been logged in the UK since 1 July 2026.

The total number of BTV-3 cases, as of 6 August, is 187. This includes 183 cases in England and four cases in Wales.

There have been no recorded cases in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The location of premises in Great Britain where at least one animal has tested positive by PCR for BTV-3, BTV-8 or BTV-12 is available on the bluetongue case map. All livestock keepers in Great Britain are urged to familiarise themselves with nation-specific bluetongue control policies.

Bluetongue virus is a notifiable disease. It is a legal requirement that any suspicions, even if livestock has been vaccinated, are reported immediately.