Volac

What Volac does

Volac is a UK family-owned ruminant nutrition company founded in 1970 and headquartered in Orwell, Royston, Hertfordshire. Following a 2023-2024 restructuring that divested its Milk Replacer business to Denkavit (December 2023) and its Whey Nutrition business to Arla Foods Ingredients (November 2024, post-CMA approval), the company is now focused exclusively on Animal Nutrition organised into three product families: Feed Additives, Forage Additives, and Feed Ingredients, plus a small Animal Health extension. Customers are dairy and beef cattle producers, compound feedmills, and agricultural merchants globally.

The scientific platform is built on stated competencies in microbiology, biochemistry, enzymology, and immunology, supporting proprietary brands including Megalac® rumen-protected feed fats, Ecosyl™ silage inoculants containing the proprietary Lactiplantibacillus plantarum strain MTD/1, UltraSorb™ species-specific mycotoxin remediators, UltraCell probiotic yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae NCYC R404), BioSynergy direct-fed microbials, and ES Advance crop-specific forage inoculants. Manufacturing is concentrated at two UK sites (Port Talbot for fermentation and freeze-drying of lactic acid bacteria under ISO 9001/14001, FAMI-QS, UFAS; Liverpool for feed fats under ISO 9001/14001/18001/50001, FEMAS), supplemented by a feed-fats factory in Gresik, Indonesia operated through the Volac Wilmar Feed Ingredients (VWFI) joint venture. The Mycocheck UKAS-accredited laboratory service provides UHPLC-MS/MS mycotoxin testing across 12 analytes, with over 75% of 2024 feed samples testing positive.

Volac makes money primarily through one-time product sales of feed additives, forage additives, and feed ingredients distributed via a global network of agricultural merchants and a direct regional sales team covering the UK, Ireland, Europe, the USA, and South America. Feed fats flow through the VWFI JV with Wilmar International (since 2015), which combines Volac's nutritional reputation and brand with Wilmar's vegetable oil logistics. A small recurring revenue stream comes from the Mycocheck and Bindercheck laboratory services. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, determined by territory, volume, and product specification. FY2023 reported turnover was £299.1m with pre-tax profit of £22.7m; both figures were depressed by the pending divestitures and steep cost inflation rather than organic contraction of the retained Animal Nutrition business.

Name

Volac

Legal name

Volac International Limited

Website

https://volac.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Volac is a UK family-owned ruminant nutrition company founded in 1970, producing feed additives, forage inoculants, and feed ingredients for dairy and beef cattle producers, feedmills, and agricultural merchants worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Animal Nutrition

NAICS

Other Animal Food Manufacturing (311119)

SIC

Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200)

akta.pro primary industry

Livestock & Poultry Nutrition (Feed & Premixes) (HLAMAHAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Nutraceuticals & Functional Ingredients for Animal Diets (Probiotics, Omega-3, Joint, GI) (HLAMAHAH), Mycotoxin Binders & Detoxifiers (Clays, Yeast Cell Wall) (AFADALAH), Organic Feed Premixes & Mineral/Vitamin Blends (AFADAJAG)

Keywords

• Animal feed additives
• Ruminant nutrition
• Silage inoculants
• Rumen-protected fats
• Dairy feed ingredients

Headquarters

HQ city

Orwell

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Feed Additives: Sale of feed additive products including mycotoxin remediators, direct fed microbials, nutraceuticals, and phytogenics through agricultural distributor network worldwide.
2. Forage Additives: Sale of silage inoculants (Ecosyl brand) and forage preservatives through agricultural merchants and distributors.
3. Feed Ingredients (Megalac®): Sale of rumen-protected feed fat products through Volac Wilmar Feed Ingredients joint venture, targeting compound feedmills, agricultural merchants and farmers with MEGA-branded range.
4. Technical Services (Mycocheck): Laboratory testing services for mycotoxin analysis in animal feeds, accredited to ISO 17025 standard.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Volac develops, manufactures, and sells evidence-based bio-science animal nutrition products — including mycotoxin remediators, direct fed microbials, probiotics, phytogenics, silage inoculants, forage preservatives, and rumen-protected feed fats — for ruminants, swine, poultry, and aquaculture. The company sells through global agricultural distributors, direct regional sales teams, and the Volac Wilmar Feed Ingredients joint venture, and complements its products with UKAS-accredited laboratory services (Mycocheck, Bindercheck).

Product overview

Volac is a family-owned ruminant nutrition company offering a diversified portfolio of animal nutrition products organized into four core product areas: Feed Additives, Forage Additives, Feed Ingredients, and Animal Health. The Feed Additives portfolio includes mycotoxin remediation products (UltraSorb R/S/P 3.0, UltraSorb Core Technology), direct fed microbials (BioSynergy, EnZyMax), nutraceuticals (UltraCell, FerMos), and phytogenics (RumiBEO). The Forage Additives range features silage inoculants (Ecosyl, ES Advance, Advance Range), forage preservatives (Profresh Plus, Early Bale Plus), and biological slurry treatments (MicroZyme R/S, Ecocool). Feed Ingredients centers on the Megalac rumen-protected feed fat brand, distributed through the VWFI joint venture with Wilmar International. Technical services include Mycocheck (UKAS-accredited mycotoxin testing) and Bindercheck (binding analysis). The company operates manufacturing facilities in the UK (Port Talbot, Liverpool) and USA, with products distributed globally through agricultural distributors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Megalac® Rumen-Protected Feed Fats The first truly effective protected feed fat supplement that delivers energy to dairy cows without disrupting rumen function, improving milk yield, fertility, and milk composition. Sold under the Megalac® brand and distributed globally via the VWFI joint venture.
• Ecosyl™ Silage Inoculant Market-leading silage inoculant containing Lactiplantibacillus plantarum strain MTD/1, controlling fermentation and preserving nutritional quality of silage in clamps or big bales, reducing losses and improving milk yield.
• UltraSorb R 3.0 Next-generation ruminant-specific mycotoxin remediator and endotoxin binder with multi-mode approach: bind (mineral components), transformation (yeast fractions), degradation (biological agents), and gut health support (live yeast and Bacillus).
• UltraSorb S 3.0 Swine-specific mineral feed developed to reduce the impact of mycotoxins and endotoxins through binding, transformation, and degradation of a wide range of mycotoxins.
• UltraSorb P 3.0 Avian-specific mineral feed developed to reduce mycotoxin impact in poultry, especially susceptible to Aflatoxins, Ochratoxins, and T2 toxins.
• UltraSorb Core Technology Ruminant-specific premixture allowing customers to customize mycotoxin solutions by including local clays, with binding analysis to identify optimal clay blends.
• BioSynergy Direct fed microbial containing multiple Bacillus strains, live yeast, and beta-glucans to support optimal rumen environment, digestion, gut health, and animal performance while inhibiting pathogens like E. coli and Salmonella.
• EnZyMax Direct fed microbial combining probiotic (live yeast, bacillus) and prebiotic (yeast cell wall components, fibrolytic enzymes) ingredients to support rumen environment, improve fiber digestion, and reduce acidosis risk.
• UltraCell Live probiotic yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae NCYC R404) specifically selected for dairy nutrition that stabilizes rumen environment, scavenges oxygen, metabolizes lactic acid, stimulates fiber-degrading bacteria, and has been shown to increase milk yield by average 2.7kg/cow/day.
• FerMos Mannan oligosaccharide (MOS) derived from Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast cell wall that binds pathogenic bacteria (E. coli, Salmonella, Proteus, Klebsiella) via mannose-specific lectins, reducing intestinal colonization and infection rates.
• RumiBEO Phytogenic feed additive containing specifically selected and blended essential oils to help increase desirable propionic acid production in the rumen, mitigating acidosis and improving animal performance.
• ES Advance Forage Inoculant Range Crop-specific silage inoculant range formulated for grass, corn, and cereal forages. Contains enzymes, lactic acid bacteria, and acetic acid to improve silage quality, increase digestible NDF and crude protein, reduce dry matter loss, and inhibit mold formation.
• Advance Range Forage Inoculants Forage inoculant range including Advance and Advance Biogas products for silage preservation and anaerobic digestion applications.
• Ecocool & Ecocool Grain Dual-strain silage inoculant combining Lactobacillus plantarum MTD/1 for improved fermentation and Lactobacillus buchneri PJB/1 for improved aerobic stability in forage and grain crops.
• Profresh Plus Preservative based on buffered propionic acid for stabilization of TMR and silage, prevention of mold growth in feed ingredients and compound animal feed.
• Early Bale Plus Buffered propionic acid preservative for hay baled at 16% to 30% moisture content, preventing mold growth, heating, discoloration, and loss of feed value.
• MicroZyme R Ruminant-specific biological product for reduction of solids, odor control, and nitrogen retention in stored liquid slurry, containing bacterial strains and enzymes to break down fiber, starch, pectins, fats, and protein residues.
• MicroZyme S Swine-specific biological product for reduction of solids, odor control, and nitrogen retention in stored liquid swine manure.
• Mycocheck Mycotoxin Testing Service UKAS-accredited (ISO 17025) specialist laboratory service measuring mycotoxin levels in animal feeds using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS), capable of detecting 12 different mycotoxins.
• Bindercheck Laboratory Service Laboratory service testing clays and similar materials for their ability to bind mycotoxins across multiple pH levels simulating digestion and different animal species, enabling customized mycotoxin solutions.

Quantifiable outcome

• UltraCell probiotic yeast increases milk yield by average 2.7kg/cow/day
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Shawton EnergyminorOthers · 1 January 2026Partnership for installation of rooftop solar photovoltaic system at Port Talbot site, expected to deliver annual carbon savings of approximately 84,564 kg of CO₂.
• Arla Foods IngredientscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2024Arla Foods Ingredients acquired Volac's Whey Nutrition business (Volac Whey Nutrition Holdings Limited and subsidiaries) including the Felinfach whey processing facility. Competition and Markets Authority approved the acquisition in November 2024.
• Denkavit GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2023Denkavit acquired Volac's Milk Replacer business including Volac Milk Replacers Ltd, Volac Milk replacers Ireland Ltd, and Volac Socoor SRL. Volac continues to supply and blend product for UK and Ireland markets. Strategic decision to allow Milk Replacer business to grow with a focused player.
• MV IngredientsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2023Volac exited 50:50 joint venture MV Ingredients with Arla Foods Ingredients, with Arla taking full control from September 2023. JV produced permeate powder sold by Volac and liquid WPC sold to Volac.
• Wilmar International LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Volac Wilmar Feed Ingredients (VWFI) joint venture combines Volac's nutritional reputation, brand presence and sales network with Wilmar's raw material logistics and global operations. VWFI develops animal feed fat business globally and distributes the Megalac® range of feed fat products.
• VISB (Joint Venture, Malaysia)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2003Joint venture established in Malaysia for regional operations.
• DVN (Joint Venture, Netherlands)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2003Joint venture established in the Netherlands for regional operations.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Alltech: Family-owned global animal nutrition company focused on feed additives, mycotoxin management (Mycosorb), silage inoculants, and premixes. Highly comparable across Volac's UltraSorb mycotoxin remediation range and broader rumen-nutrition additive portfolio.
• Kemin Industries: Family-owned manufacturer of specialty ingredients for animal feed, including mycotoxin binders, silage additives, and rumen-protected nutrients. Direct peer to Volac across mycotoxin remediation, forage preservation, and rumen/feed-efficiency additives.
• Adisseo: A specialty feed-additive company (now part of China's Bluestar) producing methionine, enzymes and specialty animal nutrition additives. Overlaps Volac's feed-additives and feed-ingredient positioning with science-based specialty feed inputs.
• Chr. Hansen (now Novonesis): A global bio-science company (now operating as Novonesis post-merger with Novozymes) supplying silage inoculants, probiotic feed additives and animal nutrition solutions. Direct overlap with Volac's Ecosyl™ silage inoculant franchise and UltraCell/BioSynergy-style direct-fed microbials for ruminants.
• Lallemand Animal Nutrition: Specialist in yeast, bacteria and microbial-based silage inoculants and probiotic feed additives. Closely comparable to Volac on forage inoculants, probiotic yeasts (Saccharomyces cerevisiae products like UltraCell) and microbial-based animal nutrition solutions globally.
• AB Vista (AB Agri): Specialist feed-additive business (part of Associated British Foods) focused on feed enzymes, mycotoxin binders, and ruminant/feedlot nutrition. Direct overlap with Volac's feed-additive and mycotoxin remediation product lines.

Broad incumbents

• DSM-Firmenich Animal Nutrition & Health: Global ingredient and animal nutrition platform with broad animal-health, premix and feed-additive portfolio (including the Biomin mycotoxin franchise). Comparable to Volac in mycotoxin management and specialty feed additives but operates across far more categories.
• Cargill Animal Nutrition: A diversified global agribusiness operating a large animal nutrition and feed-additives business alongside premixes, compound feed, and feed ingredient processing. Competes with Volac across feed additives and feed ingredients but within a far broader commodity-and-specialty portfolio.
• Nutreco (SHV Holdings): Global animal nutrition business (Trouw, Skretting aquaculture) producing premixes, feed additives and specialty ingredients. Comparable to Volac on feed-ingredient and feed-additive categories but at much larger scale and across multiple species.

Regional players

• AB Neo: Animal nutrition business of Associated British Foods focused on young animal nutrition (notably calf milk replacers) and feed materials. Comparable to Volac's historical Milk Replacer business (now divested to Denkavit) and somewhat adjacent in calf/young-ruminant feed.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/volac_ltd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/volac-international-ltd

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Volac