Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters — The U.S. Department of Justice said on Friday that Canadian National Railway’s bid for U.S. railway operator Kansas City Southern appears to pose greater risks to competition than a rival agreement with Canadian Pacific Railway. The development comes as KCS on Thursday accepted CN’s $33.6 billion acquisition offer, upending the $29 billion deal […] Read more

CN bid for U.S. railway poses greater risk to competition, DOJ says

U.S. in talks with Huawei exec on resolving criminal charges, source says
'This would be a great way to end this nightmare'
Reading Time: 3 minutes Reuters — U.S. prosecutors are discussing a deal with lawyers for Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou to resolve criminal charges against her, a person familiar with the matter said, signaling a potential end to a case that has strained ties between the U.S., China and Canada. Negotiations between Meng’s attorneys and the U.S. Justice […] Read more

Pilgrim’s Pride strikes deal over U.S. chicken price-fixing charges
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — U.S. poultry company Pilgrim’s Pride Corp. said Wednesday it will pay a US$110.5 million fine after striking a plea deal with the Justice Department over price-fixing charges on chicken products. The guilty plea makes Pilgrim’s Pride, mostly owned by Brazilian meatpacker JBS, the first U.S. chicken company to reach an agreement with the […] Read more

U.S. indicts six more chicken-industry execs over alleged price fixing
Case alleges executives conspired to inflate prices for broilers
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. government has indicted six more chicken-industry executives over alleged price-fixing, broadening antitrust prosecutions in its probe of the US$65 billion poultry sector. In June, the Justice Department indicted Pilgrim’s Pride CEO Jayson Penn and three others in its first charges in the criminal probe involving broiler birds, which account […] Read more

Trump asks U.S. Justice Department to look into meat price disparities
Reading Time: 2 minutes Washington | Reuters — U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he had urged the Justice Department to look into allegations that the meatpacking industry broke antitrust law because the price that slaughterhouses pay farmers for animals had dropped even as meat prices rose. “I’ve asked the Justice Department to look into it. … I’ve […] Read more

Bayer wins U.S. nod for Monsanto deal to create ag giant
Reading Time: 2 minutes Frankfurt/Washington | Reuters — Bayer won U.S. approval for its planned takeover of Monsanto after agreeing to sell about US$9 billion in assets, clearing a major hurdle for the US$62.5 billion deal that will create by far the largest seeds and pesticides maker. Makan Delrahim, who heads the U.S. Justice Department’s (DoJ) antitrust division, said […] Read more