- Merck Animal Health has signed a definitive agreement to acquire poultry technology company TARGAN for an undisclosed purchase price.
- The deal adds TARGAN’s WingScan™ platform, which can identify and sort up to 160,000 chicks per hour using machine vision and proprietary algorithms.
- Merck will also gain access to TARGAN’s precision ocular spray technology used to administer vaccines to day-old chicks.
- The acquisition strengthens Merck’s poultry portfolio by combining biologics, vaccines and advanced automation technologies.
- Merck has been a strategic investor in TARGAN since 2017 and was already one of the company’s largest shareholders.
- The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2026, subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.
Merck Animal Health is deepening its investment in poultry production technology with a planned acquisition of TARGAN, a North Carolina-based animal agriculture technology company known for developing automated hatchery systems designed to improve efficiency, productivity and animal welfare.
The companies announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Merck Animal Health will acquire TARGAN for an undisclosed amount. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2026 following regulatory review and other customary closing requirements.
The acquisition marks a significant strategic move for Merck Animal Health as the company continues expanding beyond traditional pharmaceuticals and vaccines into technology-driven solutions for commercial livestock production.
Building a Broader Poultry Platform
Merck Animal Health President Rick DeLuca said the acquisition aligns with the company’s long-term strategy of delivering integrated solutions to poultry producers around the world.
“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,” DeLuca said.
According to DeLuca, the addition of TARGAN’s technology platform will also strengthen Merck’s internal device-development capabilities and support future innovation opportunities across multiple animal species.
WingScan Brings High-Speed Hatchery Automation
At the center of the acquisition is WingScan™, TARGAN’s automated chick sex-sorting system that uses advanced imaging technology and proprietary algorithms to identify chick gender in real time.
The platform captures high-resolution images of each chick’s feathers and can process up to 160,000 chicks per hour, allowing hatcheries to automate a traditionally labor-intensive process while maintaining high throughput.
Merck said the technology is scalable across hatchery operations of varying sizes and is designed to help improve operational efficiency and production outcomes.
Precision Vaccine Delivery Technology
The transaction will also bring TARGAN’s high-speed precision ocular spray technology into Merck’s poultry portfolio.
The system is designed to administer respiratory and coccidiosis vaccines, among others, to day-old chicks, providing a scalable approach to vaccine delivery within commercial hatcheries.
Beyond its current applications, Merck said TARGAN’s biodevice platform has potential for future development across poultry and other livestock species, creating opportunities for additional precision-animal-health technologies.
Longstanding Partnership
The acquisition builds on a relationship that spans nearly a decade. Merck Animal Health first invested in TARGAN in 2017 and has remained one of the company’s largest shareholders.
TARGAN Founder and CEO Ramin Karimpour said the transaction will provide the company with access to Merck Animal Health’s global infrastructure, scientific resources and commercial reach.
“Merck Animal Health has been a foundational partner of TARGAN since our inception through its belief and commitment to scientific excellence and a common goal of bringing technological innovation to the livestock industry,” Karimpour said.
Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, TARGAN develops automated technologies aimed at improving speed, accuracy and animal welfare across animal protein production industries worldwide.
Information sourced from the company’s press release.
