FRENCH testing giant Eurofins Scientific has acquired a business in Belfast’s harbour estate.
Biosearch, which employs 38 people in a laboratory on the Dufferin Road, specialise in food, feed and environmental testing.
Set up in 1989, It had been part of the W&R Barnett group of companies, which also includes Thompson Feeds.
The family-owned company is among the north’s most profitable businesses. Its latest accounts show the group generated an annual revenue of £1.3 billion in the year to July 31 2021, with pre-tax profits of £51.3m.
Its Biosearch business has been acquired by Eurofins Food & Water Testing UK and Ireland, which already operates from sites in Dublin and Cork.
A subsidiary of the Euronext-listed testing giant, the Belfast lab will be its first in the north.
Paul McGillicuddy, managing director for Eurofins Food and Environment Testing Ireland, said: “We are pleased to welcome Biosearch and its talented team of 38 staff to the Eurofins Group.
“We have enjoyed positive cooperation between our two companies for a number of years.
“This supported a very collaborative acquisition process and we are excited about the potential to provide an enhanced service to all our customers across the island of Ireland.
He added: “The Biosearch laboratory will reinforce Eurofins’ existing footprint as well as expand client reach in the UK and Ireland.
“We in turn look forward to strengthening the Biosearch portfolio and operating footprint by providing access to the full range of services and capabilities of the UK & Ireland business as well as the wider Eurofins Group.”
The company said it will offer its services in Belfast seven days a week.
Eurofins Scientific owns the world’s largest group of laboratories.
In 2019 it acquired UK and Ireland lab business Chemtest, which had based its Irish subsidiary operation in west Belfast.
Chemtest Ireland was subsequently closed in 2020.
Eurofins said its recent investment in a state-of-the-art food nutrition and environment chemistry campus in Cork and capacity increase in its food microbiology facility in Waterford, underlines its long-term commitment to the Irish market.
