Bayer’s seed treatments Poncho and ILeVO could soon have a new owner, as part of another deal with fellow German chemical firm BASF. BASF, which last October agreed to buy several Bayer CropScience assets including its global glufosinate-ammonium herbicide business and LibertyLink trait, announced another 1.7 billion-euro (C$2.65 billion) deal Thursday for an additional package […] Read more
BASF set to pick up Bayer’s Poncho, ILeVO treatments
Germany moving ahead with plans to restrict glyphosate
Berlin | Reuters — German Agriculture Minister Julia Kloeckner on Tuesday said she was finalizing a draft regulation to end use of glyphosate herbicide in household gardens, parks and sports facilities, and to set “massive” limits for its use in agriculture. The chemical, made by Monsanto, is at the centre of a heated debate in […] Read more
Singapore firm hikes Bayer stake in share sale
Frankfurt | Reuters — German drugmaker Bayer is raising three billion euros (C$4.67 billion) toward its planned US$62.5 billion takeover of seed and chemical firm Monsanto by selling a 3.6 per cent stake to Singapore’s state investment company Temasek. Bayer said it had struck a deal with Temasek under which it would issue shares with […] Read more
Bayer to sell digital farming business to BASF
Frankfurt | Reuters — Germany’s Bayer plans to sell its digital farming business to BASF as part of changes to concessions it has offered to win over antitrust regulators for its proposed takeover of Monsanto . Bayer, which had previously only agreed to grant a licence to competitors, said on Wednesday that as part of […] Read more
Bayer gets U.S. approval to buy Monsanto: report
Reuters — German drugs and pesticides group Bayer has reached a deal with the U.S. Justice Department for antitrust approval for its US$62.5 billion bid to acquire Monsanto by agreeing to sell additional assets, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday. The Justice Department reached an agreement in principle with the two companies in recent days, […] Read more
Bayer wins EU approval for Monsanto buy
Brussels | Reuters — German conglomerate Bayer won EU antitrust approval on Wednesday for its US$62.5 billion buy of U.S. peer Monsanto, the latest in a trio of mega-mergers that will reshape the agrochemicals industry. The tie-up is set to create a company with control of more than a quarter of the world’s seed and […] Read more
China conditionally approves Bayer’s Monsanto deal
Beijing | Reuters — Bayer on Tuesday secured conditional approval from China’s commerce ministry for its planned acquisition of the world No. 1 seed company Monsanto, chalking up a victory in an onerous struggle to win over watchdogs across the globe. The ministry also ordered the German drug and crop chemicals maker to spin off […] Read more
BASF in talks to buy Bayer vegetable seeds arm
Bayer has entered “exclusive talks” toward a deal to sell its global Nunhems vegetable seeds business to German chemical firm BASF, to help clear the aisle for a Bayer/Monsanto marriage. Nunhems, which has a portfolio of about 1,200 seed varieties in over two dozen different vegetable crops worldwide, sells seeds in North America for tomatoes, […] Read more
Bayer petitions Russian antitrust watchdog for more time in Monsanto case
Frankfurt/Moscow | Reuters — Bayer has taken Russia’s competition regulator to court over the watchdog’s investigation into the company’s planned takeover of Monsanto, a further hiccup in the US$64 billion deal amid intense antitrust scrutiny. A Bayer spokesman said the German company was petitioning the court in Russia to be given more time to discuss […] Read more
Brazilian antitrust agency approves Bayer-Monsanto tie-up
Brasilia | Reuters — Brazilian antitrust agency Cade on Wednesday approved Bayer’s proposed takeover of U.S. seeds company Monsanto without requiring further asset sales beyond a global proposal announced last October. Cade’s commissioners voted 4-2 in favour of the tie-up under an agreement, negotiated between the companies and global antitrust agencies, that included the sale […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
