Greens welcome EU decision to investigate Bayer-Monsanto merger
22 August 2017
The Green Party has welcomed the announcement of a detailed investigation into the implications for competition in the seed and pesticides markets of a merger between agribusiness giants Bayer and Monsanto [1].
The investigation was opened today by Margrethe Vestager, the European commissioner for competition.
Green MEP Molly Scott Cato, together with other MEPS, launched a petition to block the merger in 2016 [2].
Dr Scott Cato, who sits on both the Economics and Agriculture committees in the European Parliament, said:
“It’s clear from the commission’s initial review of the potential merger that they share our concerns, as Greens, about risks of further consolidation in the market for seeds and pesticides. What is surprising is that this has not led them to reject the proposed merger at this stage. We are convinced that giving more power to agribusiness will only impoverish EU farmers further. It is the EU’s responsibility to protect its farmers against the power of the agro-chemical companies, and only a rejection of the merger can achieve this.
“We have seen that Commissioner Vestager has the courage to act on market abuse by corporations in the information and financial sectors, but nothing could be more important than controlling the power a small number of companies have over our food supply. This merger can only further undermine the livelihoods of Europe’s farmers and we call on the commission to follow the logic of their own review and refuse to grant permission for the merger.”
Notes: