Bayer Agrees to Sell Liberty Link Herbicide and Trait Technology

After South Africa’s Competition Commission called for divestments of $2.5 billion in assets to ensure its approval of the $66 billion acquisition of Monsanto, Bayer has agreed to sell its Liberty Link line of agri-chemicals and trait technology.

Bayer’s Liberty Link, which is mainly used by soy, canola, and cotton farmers, is seen as a key alternative option for weeds that have developed a resistance to Monsanto’s RoundUp, and expectations are that other governments including the U.S. and the EU would also require the divestment, although neither has made an official request for the sale as of yet.

In response to growing weed resistance, Monsanto has combined its RoundUp with a previously developed weed killer, called dicamba, to renew the efficacy of its products while also selling crop seeds that can withstand both chemicals.

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