Bayer shareholders to miss the CEO of a beating

Christoph Koch's early. For years, the professional beekeepers from the black forest, drives to the annual General meeting of Bayer, also this Friday. "We are the victims. But we are in the burden of proof," says cook. He is in his white jacket in front of a yellow-and-black striped bin in front of the World Conference Center in Bonn. From the Smoking, which brought the chef and the other beekeepers, rises white-gray smoke. With the Hand a chef reaches into a pile of dead bees, in front of him on a ton. "The winter dead bees," says the master Beekeeper. The winter mortality rate of bees has increased in the past few years. "Bees are not machines, they are a good environmental indicator," says cook. To blame for the bee companies such as Bayer, and industrial agriculture, for which they stand are to die, according to his view. Therefore, the chef protested.

He is not alone on the small square in front of the hall. Bayer CEO Werner Baumann has been applied within a few months many: On the one hand, institutional investors and minor shareholders. You had to watch the value of their shares dropped with each new glyphosate-judgment in the United States. Thousands of applicants herbicides of Bayer's new subsidiary, Monsanto for their cancers. On the other hand, organic farmers, environmentalists, human rights activists, churches, Doctors and beekeepers such as cooking, caring of people and animals, the biodiversity and the climate.

this year, activists of the movement "Fridays for the Future". Shortly after nine o'clock, a few Hundred protesters will meet in front of the Congress centre. "Who does not jump, is for Bayer", chanting young people. While the shareholders are in the queue in front of the entrance, criticized the activist Felix Pohl, the use of agro-chemical corporations such as Bayer "at the expense of the environment" would always be greater and pesticides in the whole world is exported. "Kapitaliste, from the field", on the banners of the young people.

image range: demonstrations at the General Assembly of Bayer

A few meters further on, Georg Janssen, the managing Director of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft bäuerliche Landwirtschaft (AbL). "For diversity on the field and on the plate", a Transparent, Bayer chief Baumann, the farmers as a four-metre-high straw have been placed in the doll. "We don't want to be dependent on seed companies such as Bayer and Monsanto," says Janssen. The Acquisition of Monsanto is for him an expression of megalomania – and he is already alone. Also, more and more investors doubt the sustainability of the businesses of Bayer. Through the Acquisition of Monsanto, the group has bought not only "enormous reputational risks", says Janne Werning, an Analyst from Union Investment. Although the benefits of a combination of agro-chemistry, hardware and seed business at Hand, "but why it had to be, of all things Monsanto, the most controversial companies in the industry?" ask Werning.

In his speech, the CEO of Baumann defended his strategy and the Acquisition of the US-based company Monsanto, whose products the controversial herbicide glyphosate and genetically modified plants. It had been a difficult year, says Baumann. The share price has suffered after the first-instance Judgments in two glyphosate-process in the USA strong. "There are to sugarcoat anything." Bayer will defend itself, however, is decided in court. "Glyphosate-based products are not the reason for your serious illness", says the Manager.

back cover received Baumann, a member of the Supervisory Board Chairman Werner Wenning. The Monsanto Takeover was a "great success" and he was convinced that "the chosen strategy is the right way for Bayer," Wenning said. The Board had considered the purchase of "appropriate and obligation pursuant to".

"Bayer has swallowed the bitter pill of Monsanto"

"We are a bunch a shards", writes Ingo Speich. He speaks a language understood by Baumann. Save represents Deka Investment, the subsidiary of the savings Bank group is one of the largest Fund companies in Germany. Save representing 10.4 million shares, about 1.1 percent of the equity of Bayer. Since the AGM in 2018, the Bayer shares have lost 38 percent of their value. "This is a value destruction of historic proportions." Within just two years, the former pharmaceutical was mutated giant to a dwarf. With around 57 billion Euro, the exchange value of Bayer in the global comparison with the competitors currently "very low". The group run the risk to become a game ball of the markets and self-taken or even broken. "Bayer has swallowed the bitter pill" Monsanto, criticized save. The attrition that gets Baumann on Friday by the shareholders, could hardly be greater.

Like many other investors want to refuse to Deka Investment to the Board of management and the Supervisory Board for the 2018 discharge. However, the list of Speakers is long. When the vote starts, it is difficult to estimate; how it ends, also. The majority of the votes Werner Baumann should not relieve, it would be a one-time operation in Germany. "I no society from the major stock market indexes is known, the General Assembly refused to allow the bodies of the discharge," says Daniel Bauer, Chairman of the Executive Board of the protection of investors. In may 2015, the former Co-heads of Deutsche Bank, Jürgen Fitschen and Anshu Jain by the General Assembly, with only 61 percent of the votes were relieved. "Anything under 90 percent approval at the time of discharge is a Punishment by the shareholders," says Bauer. "A Dax-listed company can not afford such a thing actually. In the case of such a result, each chair would wobble probably start to."

Also beekeeper, a chef, owns a couple of shares. He has been bought by the "emergency aid", the Bayer after the mass dying of bees in the upper Rhine Graben in 2008, has paid. At that time, more than two-thirds of its 300 bee colonies died, he told. "I'll fight Bayer with the money I get from Bayer." Cook wants to report afterwards in the hall. The battle cost power and frustiere, says the 61-Year-old. "But I'm doing this for my grandchildren. I would like to give what I get." (Editorial Tamedia)

Created: 26.04.2019, 13:53 PM