Bayer’s plan to get antitrust approval from the U.S. Justice Department hasn’t satisfied the expectations of U.S. officials. Two sources told Bloomberg that those officials are worried that the merger could hurt competition. The department feels the Bayer proposal to sell off assets doesn’t go far enough. The U.S. government wants Bayer to sell off more of its assets in …
Bayer in Exclusive Talks With BASF to Sell Vegetable Seed Business
Bayer confirmed this week that the company is in exclusive talks with BASF regarding the sale of Bayer’s entire vegetable-seeds business, a move it expects to help it win approval for its acquisition of Monsanto. The move, according to Bayer, is part of its effort to address concerns made by the European Commission regarding the Bayer-Monsanto deal. The European antitrust …
Bayer-Monsanto Deal Should Close in the Second Quarter of 2018
Bayer AG CEO Werner Baumann says he’s confident they’ll win European Approval of their deal to acquire Monsanto. A Bloomberg report says he’s trying to win the approval of its $66 billion acquisition while contemplating the sale of more businesses. He says, without the Monsanto acquisition, Bayer sales and profits will grind to a halt this year. Company shares dropped …
How Potential ADM, Bungee Merger Would Impact Farmers
The possible merger of ADM and Bungee could decrease marketing outlets for farmers as the companies would combine operations. Chad Hart of Iowa State University told DTN-The Progressive Farmer this week that, however, unlike mergers in the seed business, there still is a fair amount of competition in crop marketing. Hart says there are “plenty of marketing outlets” independent from …
FTC Nominee Pledges to Look Closely at Ag Mergers
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) would take a look at past merger deals to see if regulators were too easy on the companies involved. That’s the promise of Joseph Simons, the White House nominee for FTC Chairman. Simons said during a Senate confirmation hearing, he would direct a formal study of closed deals, including some in the agriculture industry. He …