Monsanto has agreed to a $57 billion cash offer from Bayer… If shareholders and regulators approve, the merger will form a giant international seed and farm services company.
. . . .
…[S]upporters and critics have attached every conceivable meme to the potential consequences of the merger. Here are a few:
. . . .
• Bayer, a big company with lots of pull in Europe, could make GMO crops more acceptable to EU countries. Fearful critics and hopeful supporters have both floated this possibility.
It seems unlikely. Bayer has its supporters in ag circles, but large companies aren’t always popular in Europe.
• Because Bayer is a big European company operating in countries that reject GMOs, it will move away from genetic engineering. This is a fear expressed by American farmers who have adopted the technology.
That seems unlikely, given Bayer is paying $57 billion for a company that is the leader in ag biotechnology. It’s not spending that money to kill GMO agriculture. Without biotechnology and the patents from adopted varieties, Monsanto’s assorted seed companies wouldn’t be worth the price.
The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis. Read full, original post: The Monsanto-Bayer merger and ‘Big Ag’
