News

Farmers Union President concerned about consolidation

The President of the National Farmers Union says farmers will suffer after big seed and chemical companies merge.

Roger Johnson tells Brownfield he remains concerned about merging Dow and Dupont, Bayer and Monsanto, and Syngenta with ChemChina. “We’ll have fewer choices so that means there will be less competition and fewer things to compete over, and that’s not a good thing.  It’s not good for any of us in agriculture.”

Johnson says American antitrust laws have been weakened, and they are almost impossible to enforce when foreign companies are involved.  He’s especially concerned with the Syngenta-ChemChina deal.  “They respond not just to economic pressures the way companies normally do in market economies, but they have a political agenda, and they will use that agenda through their company-owned access points to do whatever it is that they want to do.”

Johnson says fewer suppliers and higher prices might force many farmers out of business.

Roger Johnson made his comments at the Wisconsin Farmers Union convention in Wisconsin Dells Saturday.