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The takeover of US group Monsanto by Pharma and Agrarchemiekonzern Bayer will be completed next Thursday. This was shared by Bayer. Requirement was that all official releases be templates. That is case now.
With takeover name Monsanto will disappear. “Monsanto will not continue as company name,” The Leverkuseners shared on Monday morning. “Bayer will remain company name.” However, Monsanto’s products would retain ir names and “become part of Bayer portfolio.”
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The task of name should be in interest of Agrarchemieunternehmens. Because Monsanto is burdened as a brand because of controversial business practices and herbicides glyphosate, plaintiff and some studies consider carcinogenic.
Conditions more expensive deal
Overall, takeover of American seed producer is largest of a German company abroad. According to Bayer, purchase price now lies at 63 billion US dollars. Until now, takeover had always been quantified at 62.5 billion dollars (around 50 billion euros).
Glyphosate – Background medium: glyphosate
For first time, glyphosate 1950 was synsized. Since 1970s, fabric has been used in agriculture. As an essential ingredient, such as plant protection Roundup of Monsanto group, it kills weeds in fields with oilseed rape, maize and or crops.
Today, glyphosate is by far most widely used pesticide. Its use has doubled over past ten years, as study by a pesticide researcher shows (Benbrook et al., 2016). In Germany, farmers buy about 5,000 tonnes of glyphosate plant protection products per year – proportion of active ingredient in all herbicides sold is well over a third.
First of all, chemical was used before sowing to free fields of weeds. However, since re are genetically modified plants that are resistant to glyphosate, it can also be used after sowing.
All articles about glyphosate are available on Time Online topic page.
Carcinogenic or not?
As responsible authority, Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BFR) has evaluated more than 1,000 studies and documents in recent years in order to reassess hazardous nature of plant poison. In particular, it was a question of wher glyphosate can increase risk of developing cancer . Subsequently, experts from European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) also examined. The result: Glyphosate is not carcinogenic.
However, in March 2015, International Agency for Cancer Research (IARC) published a report which says that plant poison is “probably carcinogenic” for humans. BFR reviewed its data, as did EFSA; Both were again, chemical is “probably not carcinogenic”.
In May 2016, pesticide expert group of World Health Organization (JMPR) retired. According to ir report, glyphosate has a very low acute toxicity. Accordingly, it is very unlikely that residues in food will increase risk of cancer for humans. In meantime, European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) also looks similar.
Monsanto’s internal documents , published in October 2017, suggest that group had been manipulating risk assessments on plant poison . The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BFR), among or things, had supported se opinions in its evaluations – y did not play a decisive role in evaluation, however, according to BFR.
Residues in food
A communication from Environmental Institute in Munich had unsettled 2016 mainly beer drinkers in Germany: Glyphosate residues had been discovered in 14 beer varieties. The fact that residues at all end up in beer, bread or or foodstuffs can happen almost only through desiccation , which is only allowed to a very limited extent in Germany. In any case, it has been making up less than five percent of glyphosate application in Germany. In addition, brewing barley must not be treated with glyphosate in this country.
Therefore, imported brewing cereals are suspected when it comes to residues in beer: about half of cereal used by German brewers comes from abroad – also from countries where use of glyphosate is less severely regulated. In principle, low residues of glyphosate are found everywhere in environment.
As early as May 2016, Bayer had announced its intention to take over Monsanto. But takeover took off because antitrust rights had to be respected. Only a few days ago, last important cartel approval was issued in United States. The EU Commission had already agreed in March.
As Bayer and Monsanto do business almost anywhere in world, approvals had to be obtained in around 30 countries. There were strict conditions for Bayer Group, which also made purchase price more expensive than originally planned. In addition, Bayer had to sell previous parts of company – more than pharmaceutical company from Leverkusen was fond of at first.
