Food, farm and anti-pesticide groups ask US attorney general to block 3 agri-business mergers

Nearly 325 consumer, food, farm and anti-pesticide groups sent a letter [on February 13] to newly confirmed Attorney General Jeff Sessions calling on Sessions to block the three major seed-and-agrichemical mergers being reviewed by the U.S. Department of Justice, as well as other U.S. and foreign regulators.

The mergers involved include Dow Chemical and DuPont, Bayer AG and Monsanto, and ChemChina and Syngenta.

Groups signing onto the letter stated the mergers would end up increasing both food and farming costs, threaten global food security, curtail innovation, threaten the health of farm workers and limit farmer choices.

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The companies in these mergers have argued their individual partnerships would increase innovation by boosting research and development, as well as expand the mix of traits-seed-and-chemical combinations for major crops. Further, the ChemChina-Syngenta deal would help advance biotechnology production and use in China.

Still, the broad coalition of groups joining the letter argued the mergers would translate into fewer options for farmers and raise input prices.

The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion, and analysis. Read full, original post: Groups write to AG opposing seed-chemical mergers