Forwarded by Tom M.
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: Laurel Hopwood <[log in to unmask]>
To: CONS-SPST-BIOTECH-FORUM <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Mon, 9 Jan 2017 10:09
Subject: Trump Adviser Wants to Stop Megadeals Like Dow-DuPont Merger

http://www.chem.info/news/2017/01/trump-adviser-wants-stop-megadeals-dow-dupont-merger?et_cid=5769890&et_rid=821476188&type=cta&et_cid=5769890&et_rid=821476188&linkid=http%3a%2f%2fwww.chem.info%2fnews%2f2017%2f01%2ftrump-adviser-wants-stop-megadeals-dow-dupont-merger%3fet_cid%3d5769890%26et_rid%3d%%subscriberid%%%26type%3dcta

Trump Adviser Wants to Stop Megadeals Like Dow-DuPont Merger

Bruce Rastetter, an agriculture advisor to Trump and CEO of the 
Iowa-based Summit Agriculture Group, said he’s worried about several 
proposed mergers facing regulatory approval this year including deals 
between Monsanto and Bayer, China National Chemical Corp. and Syngenta, 
and Dow and DuPont.

According to a report in the Des Moines Register, Rastetter said the 
mergers could “limit competition, stifle innovative research and stunt 
job growth.” Ultimately, he said these mergers are designed to hurt farmers.

“It’s clear that the motivation behind the mergers is to increase prices 
and production costs for producers,” he said. “Simply put — this would 
be bad for every farmer on the planet.”

The companies involved in the proposed deals have argued that the 
mergers will allow them to innovate and bring products to market more 
quickly.

Big Deals on The Line

All of the proposed megadeals are still facing scrutiny by antitrust 
regulators in the U.S. — a necessary hurdle for finalizing the deal. The 
Dow-DuPont merger is currently being held up by regulatory review in the 
European Union.

Could Trump Successfully Derail Mega-Mergers?

Although approval of these deals comes down to regulators at the 
Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission, Trump can exert 
influence over the government’s approach to handling antitrust issues 
when making appointments for those departments.

President Barak Obama successfully helped block several deals during his 
time in office, including a planned $160 billion merger between 
pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Allergan, by adjusting regulatory rules.

It’s unclear what influence Rastetter will have in Trump’s 
administration, but he said he is being vetted as a candidate for U.S. 
agriculture secretary by the president-elect’s transition team.

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