U.S. Lawmakers Mull over China’s Smithfield Foods Takeover

U.S. Lawmakers Mull over China’s Smithfield Foods Takeover

By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com

United States lawmakers have a scheduled hearing on Wednesday to discuss China’s pending takeover of Smithfield Foods.

Senate Agriculture Committee lawmakers will weigh in on the deal offered by China’s Shuanghui International to buy Smithfield. The deal was struck this spring and announced in May.

The committee said the hearing will scrutinize the pending acquisition of Smithfield, while examining the government review process for foreign takeovers. Consideration will also be made on topics such as American food safety and studying the effects of foreign ownership of the U.S. food supply.

If the deal goes through, it would be the largest takeover of a U.S. company by a Chinese business – valued at $7.1 billion. Larry Pope, Smithfield Foods’ CEO is expected to speak at the hearing.