摘要: |
The U.S. Department of Justice announced June 1 that it will require Zen-Noh Grain Corporation to divest nine grain elevators located in five states along the Mississippi River and its tributaries in order to proceed with its proposed $300 million acquisition of 35 operating and 13 idled grain elevators from Bunge North America Inc. The Justice Department's Antitrust Division filed a civil antitrust lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to block the proposed merger. At the same time, the department filed a proposed settlement that, if approved by the court, would resolve the department's competitive concerns. "American farmers produce the crops that feed our nation and the world," said acting Assistant Attorney General Richard Powers of the Antitrust Division. "Without this comprehensive divestiture, many American farmers would have faced lower prices for the corn and soybeans they produce. The divestiture of these assets protects vital competition in our nation's agricultural industry." |