Bayer Granted Changes in Monsanto Deal

The makeover at Bayer continues as the company attempts to purchase Monsanto. This time the German-based firm was granted concessions on proposed spinoffs. Bayer announced Wednesday that the European Commission has approved two modifications to its original approval of the takeover bid. Earlier this week, the U.S. Department of Justice was reported to have given its nod to the deal, conditional on the sale of further assets to gain antitrust approvals.The company now will sell some of its own seed-treatment assets to BASF, rather than the original plan to divest Monsanto's NemaStrike, a broad- spectrum nematicide.