UK competition watchdog provisionally clears Boparan-ForFarmers deal

(Reuters) - UK's competition regulator said on Tuesday it has provisionally cleared British food maker Boparan Holdings' proposed deal to buy Dutch agricultural feed company ForFarmers' Burston and Radstock feed mill sites.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said its inquiry group, after an in-depth Phase 2 probe, did not believe that the deal would lead to a "substantial lessening of competition".

Boparan - which also owns 2 Sisters Food Group, a supplier of ready-to-eat meals, frozen poultry to the likes of Aldi, Asda, M&S and Tesco - had previously abandoned a joint venture plan with ForFarmers before deciding to purchase the two feed mills.

2Agriculture, the unit through which Boparan is buying the mills, supplies poultry across Scotland, East Anglia and North Wales.

The CMA is inviting any feedback from relevant parties by March 11, with a final decision due by May 13.

(Reporting by Aby Jose Koilparambil in Bengaluru; Editing by Mrigank Dhaniwala)