The slow process of Aurivo's takeover of Arrabawn Co-op's liquid milk sales appears to have taken a big move forward this week, with the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) being informed of the deal.

The notification refers to the acquisition of "certain assets of Arrabawn". While it does not name it directly, this almost certainly deals with the agreement announced in August of last year with Aurivo, which was aimed at allowing Arrabawn to exit the liquid milk business.

As was flagged at the time, there has been considerable diligence due for this deal, which probably explains the relatively slow progress to date.

It was originally envisioned that the deal would become effective this early year.

Submissions

As is usual with a CCPC investigation, third parties are allowed to make submissions about the deal, with the closing date in this case given as 2 March.

Should the CCPC find no competition problems with the takeover, then it could be greenlighted fairly quickly.

If there is need for a second round of investigation, then it would lead to a delay of at least three months.