Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. Justice Department is looking into concerns that global consolidation among major seed and agricultural chemical companies may squeeze supplies of the building blocks for widely used genetically modified seeds, a farm group told Reuters. The department has asked the American Soybean Association for details about how small and independent […] Read more
Tag Archives dupont — page 4
Agricultural merger mania fuels fears among small seed sellers
U.S. lawmakers skeptical of ag chemical, seed merger wave
Washington | Reuters — U.S. lawmakers expressed concern on Tuesday over a wave of mergers among companies that sell farmers their seeds, herbicides and insecticides, worrying that the deals could lead to higher prices and less innovation at a time of dropping farm incomes. Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut, said the proposed mergers […] Read more
EU regulators halt Dow, DuPont merger review to gather data
Brussels | Reuters — European Union antitrust regulators have halted their scrutiny of Dow Chemical and DuPont’s proposed merger while the companies provide more information regarding their US$130 billion deal. The European Commission opened a full investigation into the case in August, concerned that the deal to create the world’s largest integrated crop protection and […] Read more
U.S. Senate judiciary committee to hold hearing on ag chem deals
Washington | Reuters — The U.S. Senate judiciary committee will hold a hearing in late September to discuss the mergers of Dow Chemical and Dupont as well as ChemChina’s purchase of Syngenta, committee chair Charles Grassley said in a statement Tuesday. Grassley, a Republican from the farm state of Iowa, has already expressed concern that […] Read more
EU regulators to investigate Dow, DuPont merger
Brussels | Reuters –– EU antitrust regulators have opened a full investigation into Dow Chemical and DuPont’s proposed US$130 billion merger, saying the deal may reduce competition in crop protection, seeds and some petrochemicals. The European Commission said the deal, which would create the world’s largest integrated crop protection and seeds company, may also hurt […] Read more
Monsanto, DuPont sign supply deal for dicamba
Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. seed and agrochemical companies Monsanto and DuPont said on Thursday they have signed a multi-year supply agreement for the weed killer dicamba in the U.S. and Canada. Under the deal, whose terms were not disclosed, Monsanto will supply its farm seeds and chemicals rival with the herbicide, which will be […] Read more
Monsanto in talks with Bayer, others about ‘strategic options’
Chicago | Reuters — Monsanto is in talks with Bayer and other companies regarding “alternative strategic options,” a month after it rejected the German company’s US$62 billion takeover offer, the U.S. seed producer said on Wednesday. Monsanto’s options include combinations with other companies and businesses in the sector beyond Bayer. Potential deals could involve BASF […] Read more
BASF says not backed into corner by Bayer’s Monsanto swoop
Ludwigshafen, Germany | Reuters — BASF, which has so far kept out of a consolidation push among global seeds and pesticides groups, said its business model was not affected by rival Bayer’s plans to buy Monsanto. “We are not backed into a corner by what is happening in the market,” the group’s deputy chief executive […] Read more
Rush for ag chem megadeals clogs regulatory path, worries farmers
Reuters — As Bayer joins the agricultural sector’s scramble to consolidate, its bid for Monsanto may be a tipping point for U.S. farmers, federal lawmakers and regulators concerned the tie-ups may harm the farm economy. If Monsanto accepts Bayer’s unsolicited offer, experts say, the deal would inevitably trigger a review by federal antitrust regulators. But […] Read more
Rush for ag chem megadeals clogs regulatory path, worries farmers
Reuters — As Bayer joins the agricultural sector’s scramble to consolidate, its bid for Monsanto may be a tipping point for U.S. farmers, federal lawmakers and regulators concerned the tie-ups may harm the farm economy. If Monsanto accepts Bayer’s unsolicited offer, experts say, the deal would inevitably trigger a review by federal antitrust regulators. But […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
