Cargill Announces $150M Sunflower Processing Upgrade in France

SAINT-NAZAIRE, France — April 29, 2026 — Cargill has announced a $150 million upgrade to its sunflower seed processing facility in Saint-Nazaire, strengthening its positioning in Western Europe’s plant-based protein sector.

The capital investment will enable the facility to transition from producing standard low-protein meal to high and super-high protein sunflower meal, providing animal feed manufacturers with a regional alternative to imported protein meals.

Local Farmer and Cooperative Integration
As sunflower acreage expands across western France, the upgrade will secure a reliable local outlet for French farmers and agricultural cooperatives.

“This strategic investment strengthens our ability to connect French farmers to growing demand for high-value protein meal,” said Alexis Cazin, President of Cargill’s Agriculture and Trading group in EMEA. “By upgrading our processing capacity in Saint-Nazaire, we’re creating more opportunities for local farmers while helping ensure France remains competitive in rapidly evolving global feed markets.”

Circular Energy Upgrades
The modernization project also improves the facility's overall energy footprint:

• Biomass Boiler: A new on-site boiler will burn processed sunflower seed hulls, reducing natural gas consumption by more than 100 GWh annually.
• Carbon Reduction: The biomass conversion is projected to lower CO2 emissions by approximately 20,000 metric tons per year, representing about 90% of the site's carbon emissions.
• Pellet Production: Excess hulls will be manufactured into agricultural biomass pellets for external heating networks, creating a circular by-product loop.