$8.2B US merger of Viterra and Bunge now complete

Alexander Quon · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 03, 2025 1:05 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

The $8.2-billion US merger of Bunge and Viterra is present complete, forming 1 of the world's largest agribusiness companies.

The woody was confirmed successful a quality merchandise issued by the Missouri-based Bunge on Wednesday. It comes nearly six months aft the Canadian authorities approved the merger with Viterra, formerly known arsenic the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool.

The woody was heavy criticized by cultivation producers, who fearfulness it volition trim contention successful the atom and canola markets.

Aleana Young, the Saskatchewan NDP's professional for the economy, said those fears person not gone distant since the woody was approved by the Canadian government.

"We're a mighty province, but we request contention successful captious sectors of our economy. So again, to spot the authorities wholly absent contempt farmers raising alarm bells for implicit a twelvemonth has been acquisition to accidental the least," Young said successful an interrogation connected Thursday.

The Competition Bureau issued a study in April 2024 that recovered the woody was apt to hurt contention successful the grain and canola markets.

It besides recovered that Bunge, the world's largest oilseed processing company, could power the behaviour of G3 Global Holdings, a large rival to Viterra.

Transport Canada says strict and legally binding controls are needed connected U.S.-based Bunge's number ownership involvement successful G3 to guarantee it can't power that company's pricing oregon concern decisions.

Among the restrictions placed connected the merger by Ottawa are a committedness to support Viterra's caput bureau successful Regina for astatine slightest 5 years and an concern of astatine slightest $520 cardinal successful Canada wrong the adjacent 5 years.

In a statement, the provincial authorities said it volition show the woody to guarantee those commitments are honoured.

"The Government of Saskatchewan continues to prioritize ensuring that our producers tin stay competitory and profitable, with continued entree to cardinal planetary markets," the connection said.

Young said she's acrophobic astir the aboriginal of the Viterra office past the five-year committedness outlined successful the merger approval.

She said she doubts the provincial authorities did capable to advocator for Canadian producers.

"I deliberation determination are a batch much questions to beryllium asked astir what, if anything, the state did to basal up for Saskatchewan producers who, again, are acrophobic astir a deficiency of competition, they're acrophobic astir reduced logistics and transportation, and they're acrophobic astir losing workplace revenues to the tune of astir a cardinal dollars a year," Young said.

According to a media release, Bunge's CEO Greg Heckman stated that the merger creates a much robust enactment with enhanced capabilities and expertise.

As portion of the caller structure, erstwhile Viterra CEO David Mattiske present serves arsenic co-chief operating serviceman connected Bunge's executive enactment team. He joins Julio Garros, who antecedently held the relation of Bunge's co-president of agribusiness.

Viterra operates much than 80 grain-handling facilities crossed Canada.