Noerr advises Bayer on the sale of its digital farming division to BASF for Monsanto merger clearance

Noerr has assisted Bayer AG with the sale of further crop science businesses worth up to €1.7bn to BASF. Teams from Noerr’s Digital Business and Corporate/M&A practice groups advised the group of the sale of its global digital farming division.

The overall package also includes the worldwide vegetable seed business and certain seed treatment agents. In return for selling its digital farming division, Bayer will receive a grant-back licence for certain digital farming applications. The overall turnover of the divisions in 2017 was €745m.

With this transaction, which also includes the transfer of around 2,500 employees, approximately 150 of whom are in Germany, Bayer is complying with commitments it made to the European Commission and other regulatory authorities in order to allow the takeover of Monsanto to be successfully completed.

The transaction still requires clearance by the regulatory authorities and will only take effect when the Bayer’s takeover of Monsanto has been successfully completed.

Advisors to Bayer AG: Noerr LLP

Dr Florian Becker (M&A, team lead, Munich), Dr Thomas Thalhofer (Digital Business, team lead, Munich), Dr Maurice Séché (M&A, Düsseldorf), Konrad Zdanowiecki (Digital Business, Munich)

Associates: Dr Lisa Guntermann (M&A, Düsseldorf), Dr Stefanie Hagemeier (Digital Business, Munich)

Bayer in-house: Dr Christian Bank, Dr Johannes Rabus, Dr Paul Wilhelm Fort