Bayer Acquisition of Aventis CropScience Finalized; Bayer Environmental Science, North America to Serve Professional and Consumer Specialty Markets

Business Wire, June 5, 2002

Business Editors

MONTVALE, N.J. & KANSAS CITY, Mo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 5, 2002

The acquisition of Aventis CropScience by Bayer AG was finalized on June 4, 2002, according to Bayer officials.

The acquisition leads to the creation of Bayer CropScience, which consists of three business groups - Crop Protection, Bio Science, and Environmental Science.

The Environmental Science group combines the activities of Aventis Environmental Science, Bayer Garden & Professional Care, and Bayer Environmental Health, and will be organized into two separate business units - Professional Products and Consumer Products.

The Professional Products unit of Bayer Environmental Science, North America will offer a complete line of insecticides, herbicides and fungicides to the Green Industry, encompassing turf and ornamental management, vegetation management, and forestry; the Professional Pest Management Industry, including professional termite and general pest control; and the Vector Control Industry, including mosquito control.

Josh Weeks, former Vice President of Aventis Environmental Science's Chipco Professional Products group, will head this new unit.

The Consumer Products unit of Bayer Environmental Science, North America will serve the consumer do-it-yourself market, and includes the Bayer Advanced(TM) family of insecticides, herbicides, fertilizers and combination products for lawn, garden, and home pest control. Also included in this unit is the sale of active ingredients for third party branded consumer products.

Dr. Ulrich (Bob) Trogele, former President of Aventis Environmental Science North America, will head this unit.

"North America represents the single most important market for the sale of specialty products," comments Pascal Housset, Worldwide Head of Bayer Environmental Science. "This new, dynamic organization provides a structure that will ultimately enhance our position within the North American professional and consumer markets."

Operations of the two former companies will continue in parallel during the integration process. Likewise, the Bayer and Aventis Environmental Science sales groups will remain in place until later this year, when a combined field structure will be announced.

Bayer Environmental Science is a member of the worldwide Bayer Group, a $27 billion international health care and chemicals group based in Leverkusen, Germany. The Bayer Group stock is a component of the DAX and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: BAY).

For more information on Bayer Environmental Science, contact Renee' Holmes, Communications Manager, at (816) 242-4711, or visit online at www.BayerES.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here.

These factors include those discussed in our public reports filed with the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (including our Form 20-F). The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.