Agtech
Agtech has advanced the way agricultural industry approaches all aspects of the supply chain: upstream at the farm, midstream with the processor, and downstream with the consumer. Agtech tools, including improved data management, labor saving technologies, and higher quality inputs and seed traits, help farmers sustain healthy soils, increase crop production, and bolster the broader agricultural industry.
Agribusiness is increasingly global. With offices in Europe, the Middle East, the United States, Latin America, Australia, and Asia, our team represents a wide range of agribusinesses, including agtech companies, in key markets worldwide. The scope of our international reach allows us to do cross-border consultation and serve clients in a variety of subject matters from mergers and acquisitions, licensing, and finance to intellectual property, antitrust, and regulatory issues.
Our team also has lawyers with scientific, technical, regulatory, and operational backgrounds in the agriculture and food sectors. Our understanding of public policy and regulations, coupled with governmental experience, gives our clients an important edge when dealing with regulatory agencies involved in the agtech sector.
Thought Leadership
On 30 January 2024, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a final rule (Final Rule) increasing the premium processing fee from US$2,500 to US$2,805, increasing filing fees for I-129 and I-140 employment-based petitions, and imposing a new Asylum Program Fee for each Form I-129 and I-140 filed by employers.
On 3 April 2024, the US Securities and Exchange Commission announced the first settlement with a stand-alone registered investment adviser for, among other things, failures to maintain and preserve certain electronic communications.
On 22 December 2020, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted amendments (the final rule) to Rule 206(4)-1 under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (the Advisers Act) to modernize the regulation of investment adviser advertising and solicitation practices.
On 7 March 2024, the Illinois Pollution Control Board proposed amendments to its Ground Water Quality regulations, which would set standards for selected per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances compounds at or near their levels of detection and would result in some of the most stringent standards in the country.