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British Foods withdrawn following stockmarket crash of October 1987 1989 - First UK food company to invest in eastern Europe with formation of Sugarpol with control of two Polish sugar factories September 1990 - Following heavy losses in finance and property, Berisford were forced to sell British Sugar. Interest from Tate & Lyle attracted further investigation by the Monopolies and Mergers Commission January 2 1991 - Purchased by Associated British Foods for £880 million 1995 - BSO involvement with China's sugar industry began when a joint venture was arranged with the Guangxi Yizhou Sugar Development Head Company's cane sugar refinery at Shibie in Guangxi Province, SouthEast China. March 2001 - EU adopt "Everything But Arms" agreement (EBA) granting duty-free access to imports of all products from 49 least developed countries (LDC's) without any quantitative restrictions, except to arms and munitions. Gradual reduction of duty on sugar to July 2009 BSO now has majority control in four cane sugar factories in Guangxi Province:- Shibie and Huaiyuan, operated by the original Bo Qing joint venture, Bo Hua and Bo Xuan which was acquired in October 2001. 23 September 2003 - EU Commission opens discussion to reform the EU Sugar Regime 22 June 2005 - EU Commission proposes radical reform of sugar sector 24 November 2005 - EU agriculture ministers reached agreement on reform |
December 2005 - Work begins on construction of UK's first bioethanol production facility at Wissington 20 February 2006 - EU agriculture ministers formally adopted radical reform of the EU sugar sector June 2006 - Collaboration with BP and DuPont on biofuels announced 1 July 2006 - Reform of sugar sector came into force September 2006 - Completion of purchase of 51% stake in Illovo Sugar Limited June 2007 - Announced joint venture with BP and DuPont to build world scale bioethanol plant at Hull, England August 2007 - Announced the formation of a Joint Venture with the Hebei Tian Lu Sugar Group (Tian Lu) in the north east of China September 2007 - UK's first bioethanol production facilty commissioned at Wissington November 2007 - Official opening of UK's first bioethanol production facility by Lord Rooker 2008 - BSO forms new sugar beet JV "BoCheng" in Qiqihaer City, Heilongjiang Province February 2008 - Application to renounce 165,000 tonnes of UK sugar production quota accepted by Rural Payments Agency under EU restructuring programme March 2008 - Planning permission granted to Vivergo Fuels for construction of world scale bioethanol plant at Hull, England April 2009 - Completion of purchase of Azucarera Ebro in Spain |
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