EC investigates Bayer's bid for Monsanto

23 August 2017

A $66 billion takeover bid for a US agriculture firm from German life sciences company Bayer (BAYN: DE) is being investigated by the European Commission (EC) amid concern that it might harm competition.

Although the proposed acquisition of Monsanto (NYSE: MON) mainly concerns the Bayer Crop Science division, the size of the deal and whether it goes ahead will impact the group as a whole.

The EC announced on Tuesday that it had opened an ‘in-depth’ investigation to assess the proposed acquisition under European Union merger regulation, specifically relating to the reduction in competition in areas such as pesticides, seeds and traits.

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