Texas-based Darling International Inc. has closed the deal to buy a Canadian company dealing with rendering and biodiesel. This company news release says Darling bought Rothsay, the rendering and biodiesel division of Maple Leaf Foods Inc., for about $618 million.

Darling International Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Randall Stuewe said, “We are excited to add the Rothsay assets and employees to our portfolio. Together we will bring new solutions and opportunities to our many customers across North America.”

Darling International Inc. is the largest and only publicly traded provider of rendering and bakery residuals recycling solutions to the nation’s food industry. The Company recycles beef, poultry and pork by-product streams into useable ingredients such as tallow, feed-grade fats, meat and bone meal, poultry meal and hides. The Company also recovers and converts used cooking oil and commercial bakery residuals into valuable feed and fuel ingredients. These products are primarily sold to agricultural, pet food, leather, oleo-chemical and biodiesel manufacturers around the world.

Earlier this year, Texas-based Darling opened a joint venture renewable diesel plant with energy giant Valero in Louisiana. That plant also uses animal fat to make the renewable diesel, as well as using waste cooking oil and corn oil.