Tessenderlo Group to build new fertilizer production line in France

By Mary Page Bailey

Tessenderlo Group (Brussels, Belgium) announced that it plans to construct a new production line for organic fertilizers in Vénérolles (Aisne, France). The new line will focus on the production of organic pellets for its Violleau business unit, responding to the rising demand for organic fertilizers. It is scheduled to be operational beginning in Q1 2023, and it will be constructed on the site of Akiolis’ manufacturing plant in Vénérolles. Thanks to the contribution of meat and bone meal and animal proteins (category 2 and category 3) from the Akiolis bio-valorization segment, the Violleau unit is able to offer products with a high concentration of nitrogen and phosphorus, which are particularly beneficial for organic farming.

In 2021, Tessenderlo Group created a new growth unit, called Violleau, to support the growth of organic agricultural solutions in Europe. Violleau specializes in the production of organic amendments and fertilizers from animal and vegetable matter, as well as the commercialization of biocontrol products. Violleau’s organic and organo-mineral formulations, which are made in France, in compost or pellets, can be used in organic and conventional agriculture for applications in field crops, vineyards, arboriculture, market gardening, or green spaces.

“With the new production line in Vénérolles, we are further expanding our local presence in the organicfertilizer market. Our new production line responds to the growing demand for organic fertilizers from the European market, which is in line with the European Union’s Farm to Fork Strategy,” explained Didier Coppieters, GU Director of Violleau. “At the same time, we will also ensure a better service to the agricultural market in Northern France and Belgium thanks to the strategic location in Vénérolles,” adds Dominique Billard, General Manager Violleau France. Violleau already operates a production plant in La Ronde en Deux-Sèvres (France).