The directors of Dutch producer organisations Unistar, Brassica Group, Westveg and Tradition have unanimously backed plans to merge their operations, according to reports in the Dutch and German media.
The merger plans, which were originally announced in October, have been approved by each of the organisations' boards and have also received the backing of the Dutch competition authorities.
The move would see an initial merger of Unistar and Brassica Group, followed subsequently by the incorporation of Westveg and Tradition.
It is understood that the merger plans are aimed at developing economies of scale particularly at a technical investment level.
Speaking about the proposed Unistar-Brassica Group deal, the Brassica Group's Aad Brandsen confirmed that an agreement had been reached at directorial level.
'Both parties have now called for a merger,' he told Fruchthandel Magazine. 'This merger will have to be addressed by the two producer organisations in December.'
Board members from all four producer organisations are due to vote on 8 December to start the merger process.
