Monsanto/Bayer’s weighty remedy proposal complicates DoJ review
19 March 2018 - 12:00 am UTC
Bayer [ETR:BAYN] and Monsanto’s [NYSE:MON] proposed remedy package to address US antitrust concerns is a lengthy and complex document, according to a source familiar and a person briefed on the matter.
In fact, the merging agrochemical firms’ 6,500-page proposal may be one of the longest and most complicated submissions that the Department of Justice (DoJ) has received, the person said.
The source familiar attributed the length to voluminous highly-detailed agreements in English and German, crafted by the Leverkusen, Germany-based Bayer. The DoJ is still probing the proposal’s potential loopholes to understand whether and how the important licensing rights that are granted may diminish over time, the source said.
Bayer’s USD 63bn bid for St. Louis-based Monsanto has raised vertical and horizontal antitrust concerns, as reported. Opposition groups have said the Monsanto deal will lead to higher prices for farmers and consumers.
Bayer did not respond to request for comment. Monsanto and the DoJ declined to comment.
