German dairy co-ops Nordmilch and Humana Milchindustrie have formally applied for anti-trust clearance of their plans to merge.
The two co-ops have been partners in a whey processing venture since 2006 and last year, they combined their sales divisions.
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
Nordmilch sees a deeper merger as vital for the businesses as they look to compete in a wider European dairy sector that has seen waves of M&A activity in recent years.
A spokesman for the Bundeskartellamt said the competition watchdog would look into the proposed deal and decide by 11 October whether to clear the deal or start a more in-depth investigation.
As well as awaiting regulatory clearance, farmer-members will vote on the merger plans at extraordinary meetings that had been slated for later this year.

US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalData
Officials at Nordmilch could not be reached for further comment.