Valeo Foods - the owner of leading Irish consumer brands Batchelors, Odlums, Jacob's biscuits, and Kelkin - has acquired the European business of Kettle Foods from the Campbell Soup Company for around £66m (€73m).

Exceptional costs of €12.24m ate into profits at consumer foods group Valeo Foods last year.

Irish agribusiness company Origin Enterprises has completed the €22.4m takeover of a Polish counterpart as part of its ongoing expansion in the Eastern European market.

Agri-services group Origin Enterprises has stepped up its non-core asset disposal programme by selling its 32% stake in leading consumer foods group, Valeo Foods, for a cash consideration of nearly €87m.