Now this is worrisome: Antitrust Experts Warn Against Proposed Bayer-Monsanto Merger

[cali]

08 Aug, 2016


A new legal opinion, written by two former Justice Department officials from the Antitrust Division, argues that a merger between Bayer and Monsanto would violate the Clayton Act, a law enacted by Congress to curb anti-competitive business practices.

According to the white paper, a Bayer-Monsanto merger would also be in direct violation of a 2008 court order, where Monsanto was forced to divest itself of certain cottonseed and cotton breeding assets, which were sold to Bayer. If the merger proceeds, Monsanto would re-acquire these anti-competitive traits, thereby violating the US Department of Justice’s judgement.

The legal opinion points out that:
•The merger would eliminate direct competition between two of the largest players in the traited seed sector, with direct consequences for seed development, herbicide markets, and innovative and open research and development.
•A merger will mean the new Bayer-Monsanto conglomerate will control nearly 70% of the cotton acreage in the United States – unacceptably high by antitrust standards. It would also have unacceptable market concentration in wide swaths of commercial seed development and sales for other commonly used varieties, including traited canola, soybeans, and corn developed in North America.
•The new corporation would likely lead to higher input prices, with less choice and higher food prices for consumers, and fewer non-biotechnology options available to farmers and consumers.

“A merger between Bayer and Monsanto is a five-alarm threat to our food supply and to farmers around the world,” explained Anne Isakowitsch, Senior Campaigner with SumOfUs. “This new mega corporation would be the world’s biggest seed maker and pesticide company, defying important antitrust protections, giving it unacceptable control over critical aspects of our food supply — undermining consumer choice and the freedom and stability of farmers worldwide.”

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http://www.lawyer-monthly.com/2016/08/antitrust-experts-warn-against-proposed-bayer-monsanto-merger/

[villager]

1. Think how much more efficient their "online apologist" strategies could get...

[safeinOhio]

2. And they get to

Lay off tons of workers

[cali]

3. Dangerous, dangerous shit, but heck, issues like this aren't

of much interest in our current environment of yay team blue and hiss boo team red.

It's just sad.

[villager]

4. Along with climate change, the long term stuff gets pushed aside in the hurlyburly of election

...season team politics.

[cali]

5. yes, we lose sight of the actual issues in the hourly outrages

but it's the age we live in as much as anything. (I love the word hurly-burly)

[cali]

6. kick