FOURTH AMENDMENT TO AMENDED AND RESTATED CREDIT AGREEMENT

EX-10.4 7 amend4credit.htm 4TH AMEND CREDIT AGREEMENT 4th Amend to Amended and Restated Credit Agmt

FOURTH AMENDMENT TO AMENDED AND RESTATED
CREDIT AGREEMENT



FOURTH AMENDMENT TO AMENDED AND RESTATED CREDIT AGREEMENT (this "Amendment") dated as of June 30, 2003, among DARLING INTERNATIONAL INC., a Delaware corporation (the "Borrower"), the banks or other lenders party to the Agreement referenced below (each, individually a "Bank" and collectively, the "Banks"), and CREDIT LYONNAIS NEW YORK BRANCH, as administrative agent for the Banks (in such capacity, the "Administrative Agent").


W I  T  N  E  S  S  E  T  H:



          WHEREAS, the Borrower, the Banks and the Administrative Agent have previously entered into that certain Amended and Restated Credit Agreement dated as of May 10, 2002 (as amended by that certain First Amendment to Amended and Restated Credit Agreement dated as of September 17, 2002, that certain Second Amendment to Amended and Restated Credit Agreement dated as of December 27, 2002, and that certain Third Amendment to Amended and Restated Credit Agreement dated March 28, 2003, herein referred to as the "Agreement"; capitalized terms used herein and not otherwise defined are used herein as defined in the Agreement); and

          WHEREAS, the Borrower has requested that the Administrative Agent and the Banks modify and amend certain terms and provisions of the Agreement to permit the Borrower to enter into certain Hedging Agreements, subject to the terms and conditions hereof; and

          WHEREAS, the Administrative Agent and the Banks signatory hereto have agreed to amend the Agreement pursuant to the terms and subject to the conditions set forth herein.

          NOW, THEREFORE, for and in consideration of the mutual benefits and covenants hereunder and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto hereby agree as follows:

  1.            (a)    Amendment to Section 10.2.    Subsection (f) of Section 10.2 of the Agreement is hereby amended by deleting such subsection in its entirety and substituting the following in lieu thereof:

    (f)    Liens resulting from good faith deposits to secure payments of workmen's compensation or other social security programs or to secure the performance of tenders, statutory obligations, surety and appeal bonds, bids or contracts (other than for payment of Debt or obligations under Hedging Agreements) entered into in the ordinary course of business;

                 (b)    Amendment to Section 10.11.     Section 10.11 of the Agreement is hereby amended by deleting such Section in its entirety and substituting the following in lieu thereof:






                 "Section 10.11    Hedging. Borrower will not, and Borrower will not permit any Subsidiary to, enter into any Hedging Agreement other than (i) Hedging Agreements entered into prior to the date hereof pursuant to any Swap Documents, (ii) Hedging Agreements consisting solely of interest rate-cap arrangements for notional principal amounts which in the aggregate do not exceed fifty percent (50%) of the Borrower's outstanding Debt for borrowed money and (iii) Hedging Agreements consisting of futures contracts for the purchase of natural gas, which contracts, at any date of determination, do not in the aggregate hedge the purchase of more than twelve (12) months of the natural gas needs of Borrower based upon historical demand. In the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) such Hedging Agreements shall be in form and substance acceptable to the Agent and shall be entered into pursuant to any Swap Documents, with counterparties whose long-term, unsecured, non-credit enhanced debt rating by S and P is at least "A" or who are otherwise acceptable to the Agent and the Required Banks."


  2. Representations and Warranties. The Borrower hereby represents and warrants to the Administrative Agent and the Banks that:

                 (a)    each of the representations and warranties contained in Article 8 of the Agreement are true and correct in all material respects on and as of the date hereof as if made on and as of such date, except to the extent that such representations and warranties specifically relate to an earlier date, in which case such representations and warranties shall be true and correct in all material respects as of such earlier date; and

                 (b)     after giving effect to this Amendment, no Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing as of the date hereof.

  3. Conditions Precedent to the Effectiveness of this Amendment.  This Amendment shall become effective as of the date hereof on the date (the "Fourth Amendment Effective Date") when the Administrative Agent shall have received a copy of this Amendment executed by the Borrower and the Required Banks.

  4. Continuing Effect; No Other Agreements.   Except as expressly amended hereby, all of the terms and provisions of the Agreement are and shall remain in full force and effect. The amendments contained herein shall not constitute a waiver, amendment or modification of any other provision of the Agreement or for any other purpose except as expressly set forth herein.

  5. No Waiver; Cumulative Remedies.    No failure or delay on the part of the Administrative Agent or the Banks in exercising any right, power or remedy under this Amendment shall operate as a waiver thereof; nor shall any single or partial exercise of any such right, power or remedy preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right, power or remedy under this Amendment. The rights, powers and remedies provided in this Amendment are cumulative, may be exercised from time to time and in such order (unless otherwise prescribed in the Agreement as modified by this Amendment) as the Administrative Agent or the Banks, as the case may be, shall determine and are in addition to, not exclusive of, the rights, powers and remedies provided by applicable law.






  6. Effect on Loan Documents.   The Borrower hereby ratifies and confirms that, except as expressly provided in this Amendment, all other terms, provisions, conditions and agreements contained in the Loan Documents remain unchanged and are in full force and effect and that the Administrative Agent and the Banks have all rights, remedies and powers hereunder and in the Loan Documents, or at law or in equity, and the Borrower is obligated by and subject to all the terms, provisions, conditions and covenants thereof and hereof.

  7. Governing Law; Counterparts; Miscellaneous.  


                 (a)     THIS AMENDMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, AND CONSTRUED AND INTERPRETED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF TEXAS.

                 (b)     This Amendment may be executed in any number of counterparts and by the different parties on separate counterparts, each of which counterparts when executed and delivered shall be an original, but all of which shall together constitute one and the same instrument.

                 (c)     Section captions used in this Amendment are for convenience only and shall not affect the construction of this Amendment.

                 (d)     No amendment, modification, termination or waiver of any term or provision of this Amendment, and no consent to any departure by the Borrower from this Amendment, shall in any event be effective unless the same shall be in writing and signed by the Administrative Agent and the Required Banks.

                 (e)     From and after the Fourth Amendment Effective Date, all references in the Agreement to the "Agreement" shall be deemed to be references to such Agreement as modified hereby.

                 (f)     Borrower agrees to pay promptly the reasonable fees and expenses of counsel to Administrative Agent for services rendered in connection with the preparation, negotiation, reproduction, execution, and delivery of this Amendment.

                 (g)     THIS WRITTEN AGREEMENT REPRESENTS THE FINAL AGREEMENT AMONG THE PARTIES AND MAY NOT BE CONTRADICTED BY EVIDENCE OF PRIOR, CONTEMPORANEOUS, OR SUBSEQUENT ORAL AGREEMENT OF THE PARTIES. THERE ARE NO UNWRITTEN ORAL AGREEMENTS AMONG THE PARTIES.







[THE REMAINDER OF THIS PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK]








SIGNATURE TO FOURTH AMENDMENT TO CREDIT AGREEMENT

          IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned parties have executed this Amendment to be effective for all purposes as of the date above first written.



 BORROWER:
 DARLING INTERNATIONAL INC.
  
 By:   /s/  Brad Phillips           
  
      Name:   Brad Phillips           
  
      Title:   Treasurer                   


ADMINIISTRATIVE AGENT:
CREDIT LYONNAIS NEW YORK BRANCH, individually as a Bank and as Administrative Agent
  
 By:   /s/  Atilla Koc           
  
      Name:   Atilla Koc           
  
      Title:   Senior Vice President                  


BANKS:
ARK CLO 2000-1, LIMITED

BY:   Patriarch Partners, LLC, its Collateral Manager
  
 By:   /s/  Lynn Tilton           
  
      Name:   Lynn Tilton           
  
      Title:   Manager                  






 BANK ONE N.A.

  
 By:                                                                         
  
      Name:                                                                
  
      Title:                                                                  







CERBERUS PARTNERS, L.P.

By:   Cerberus Associates, L.L.C., its general partner
  
 By:   /s/  Kevin Genda           
  
      Name:   Kevin Genda           
  
      Title:   Atorney In Fact                  





AVENUE SPECIAL SITUATIONS FUND II, L.P.

By:   Avenue Capital Partners II, LLC, its General Partner

      By:   GLS Partners II, LLC, Managing Member of General Partner
  
 By:   /s/  Sonia E. Gardner           
  
      Name:   Sonia E. Gardner           
  
      Title:   Member                  





 CREDIT AGRICOLE INDOSUEZ

  
 By:   /s/  Kathleen M. Sweeney           
  
      Name:   Kathleen M. Sweeney           
  
      Title:   Vice President                  
  
 By:   /s/  Joseph D. Catarina           
  
      Name:   Joseph D. Catarina           
  
      Title:   Vice President                  





 PPM AMERICA SPECIAL INVESTMENTS FUND, L.P.

By:   PPM America, Inc., as its attorney-in-fact
  
 By:   /s/  Ronnie Kaplan           
  
      Name:   Ronnie Kaplan           
  
      Title:   Vice President                  





 PPM AMERICA SPECIAL INVESTMENTS CBO II, L.P.

By:   PPM America, Inc., as its attorney-in-fact
  
 By:   /s/  Ronnie Kaplan           
  
      Name:   Ronnie Kaplan           
  
      Title:   Vice President                  





 DAPLE, S.A.

By:   PPM America, Inc., as its attorney-in-fact
  
 By:   /s/  Ronnie Kaplan           
  
      Name:   Ronnie Kaplan           
  
      Title:   Vice President