Arla will not be taking over the Danish cheese producer Them Andelsmejeri. The dairy cooperative has withdrawn its notification of the merger, meaning that the Danish Competition and Consumer Authority will no longer be considering the case. The authority had previously expressed concerns about potential distortion of competition resulting from the merger.

An investigation by the Danish Competition Council had found that a merger between Arla and Them Andelsmejeri would harm competition, with the risk of higher prices for hard cheese, which accounts for around half of cheese consumption in Denmark. The competition concerns related in particular to Danbo cheese and similar cheeses, which are widely used at breakfast and in combination with cold meats.

The parties have not proposed any solutions that could address the concerns. They have chosen to abandon the merger.