Monsanto's long road to extinction

THE name Monsanto is gone. The St Louis-based company was acquired by the German conglomerate Bayer on June 7.

It will be known as Bayer, which will retain the brand names of the original Monsanto products, but Bayer also inherits an entire briefcase of legal and ethical challenges, both past and present, in several countries.

The global agro-biotechnology giant had faced a rapid flurry of setbacks in India just prior to its takeover by Bayer. The Indian authorities are taking steps to block the market monopoly of the company's products, which are believed to pose significant risks to the health of people and the environment.