Bayer’s Monsanto acquisition to face politically charged scrutiny

By Diane Bartz and Greg Roumeliotis WASHINGTON D.C./NEW YORK (Reuters) – As the global agricultural sector races to consolidate, Bayer AG's $66 billion all-cash deal to acquire Monsanto Co will test growing political and consumer unease in the United States and abroad over the future of food production. Bayer’s pesticide-focused agricultural business has few overlaps with Monsanto's dominant seed franchise, according to the companies' executives. Monsanto and Bayer “have chosen to do a deal in the year of merging dangerously,” said David Balto, a former policy director at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.

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Bayer’s Monsanto acquisition to face politically charged scrutiny