Merck Animal Health on Thursday announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire TARGAN, a North Carolina-based company specializing in high-speed biodevice solutions for the poultry industry. The acquisition, which involves an undisclosed purchase price, is expected to close in the third quarter of 2026.
Merck Animal Health, a division of Merck & Co., Inc. based in Rahway, has maintained a long-standing relationship with TARGAN, having been an investor in the company since 2017 and serving as one of its largest shareholders.
The acquisition is set to significantly broaden Merck Animal Health’s portfolio in commercial poultry operations by integrating TARGAN’s advanced technologies, most notably:
- WingScan™: An automated solution that utilizes vision technology and proprietary algorithms to identify and sort chicks by gender. The system is capable of processing up to 160,000 chicks per hour, offering scalable efficiency for hatcheries of any size.
- Precision Ocular Spray Technology: A high-speed system designed to administer respiratory and coccidiosis vaccines to day-old chicks with high precision.
“The acquisition of TARGAN’s best-in-class biodevice technology for use in commercial hatcheries complements and accelerates our growing biopharmaceutical presence in poultry and increases our ability to deliver significant customer value globally,” Rick DeLuca, president of Merck Animal Health said.
Beyond its current poultry-focused offerings, TARGAN brings valuable device development capabilities that Merck intends to leverage across various animal species. The company’s focus on “AgTech” systems—aimed at improving speed, accuracy, and animal welfare—aligns with Merck’s broader strategy of integrating breakthrough technology into its vaccine and medicine portfolio.
Ramin Karimpour, founder and CEO of TARGAN, expressed enthusiasm for the transition, noting that the move will provide TARGAN with the global infrastructure needed to deploy its technologies at scale.
“Through this proposed acquisition, TARGAN will be able to access resources and infrastructure of Merck Animal Health, which will be critical in deploying TARGAN’s innovative biodevice technology along with their broad portfolio of poultry vaccines for customers,” Karimpour said.
The transaction remains subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.
