"Bayer's top executives recently met with Monsanto's leadership to discuss in private a negotiated acquisition of Monsanto" — a statement, made public by Bayer, that on its own has shaken an entire sector, if not an entire continent: Europe, which in recent weeks has been under pressure over two issues that could determine what we grow and eat in the years ahead: the renewal of the licence to use the herbicide glyphosate and the negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, or TTIP.

Read also: Bayer-Monsanto, the deal is done. And it's worth 66 billion dollars

The effects of 'Bayersanto' on agriculture

The German chemical and pharmaceutical multinational Bayer announced that it has launched a takeover bid to complete a merger and acquisition with the American company Monsanto, the leading producer of pesticides, herbicides and genetically modified seeds engineered to resist the agrochemicals it manufactures. Big fish eats little fish. Indeed, a year ago Monsanto unsuccessfully attempted to acquire its Swiss rival Syngenta, and now it may be "paying" the consequences. The merger of the two giants, regarded as "poison" by those who fight to protect the environment, would create the world's largest producer of seeds and agricultural chemicals, with annual revenues of 67 billion dollars. In this way, Bayer would see the share of its revenue coming from the agricultural division rise from the current 22 to 40 per cent. The two companies have not issued any comment.

The aspirin multinational's announcement came at the same time as the second postponement by the European Union's Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed (Plants, animals, food and feed committee, Paff) on the renewal of the authorisation to use glyphosate, one of the most widely used herbicides in the world. The 28 member countries were in disagreement, and a vote would not have produced the required majority. Germany in particular — Bayer's home country — would have abstained had a vote taken place. Added to this is the fact that Monsanto held the production patent for the herbicide Roundup, which contains glyphosate as its active ingredient, until 2001.

Beyond glyphosate, the key word is TTIP

The transatlantic Bayer-Monsanto merger, among other things, in addition to being potentially linked to the glyphosate issue in the EU, also appears to be intertwined with the TTIP negotiations, the agreement that could "weaken democratic decision-making processes to the advantage of multinationals", as reported by the German weekly Der Spiegel. In particular, the treaty, according to its opponents, would lower the quality and safety standards that currently "protect" the environment and the health of European citizens. An objective that, for the negotiators, would be achieved through the adoption of laws eliminating the regulatory differences that exist between the European Union and the United States, entirely to the benefit of the latter, where standards are considerably lower.

"The possible merger between Bayer and Monsanto raises many concerns because it must be seen in the context of the ongoing negotiations between the United States and Europe — and, as far as Europe is concerned, also in the context of the authorisation process for the use of glyphosate. Both processes share a fundamental uncertainty and very unclear positions," commented Rossella Muroni, president of Legambiente, for LifeGate. "With the possible creation of the world's largest seed and pesticide industry giant," Muroni continued, "an axis would be formed that risks having a negative impact on environmental protection standards, public health and the quality of certified agricultural produce in Italy and Europe."

The potential deal should not face too many obstacles as far as competition rules are concerned: "On the antitrust side, I don't think there will be too many problems," said Lutz Krafft, one of the lawyers at the consulting firm ChemAdvice GmbH, who has also worked for Bayer. Against this backdrop — according to Bloomberg — a tightening of oversight over the handful of companies that globally control the biotechnology industry is conceivable.