German lawmakers called on regulators to curb Bayer AG’s $66-billion (U.S.) takeover of U.S. seed giant Monsanto Co. in a skepticism-laced parliamentary session that highlights the backlash to the deal Bayer faces in its home market.
The debate [Sept. 21] in the lower house of parliament, called by the opposition Green Party, laid bare the depth of resistance to Bayer buying a U.S. company that many Germans view as a champion of genetically modified crops and a weedkiller they believe might cause cancer…
…[Katharina Droege of the Greens] warned of “massive negative consequences” for consumers and called on regulators to block the takeover. Lawmakers have no legislative authority to stop the deal.
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The political criticism contrasted with a more positive take from Ms. Merkel’s government. Agriculture Minister Christian Schmidt told Mittelbayerische Zeitung on [Sept. 20] that the deal holds “great potential” for digital technology and innovation.
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In the Bundestag on [Sept 21], amid jeers from the opposition, four lawmakers… either sided with Bayer or called on legislators to wait for an assessment from the European Union’s antitrust commission.
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Still, most of the tenor was against the deal.
The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis. Read full, original post: Bayer-Monsanto deal pilloried by skeptical German lawmakers
