The EU on Thursday launched a probe into the merger of US agri-chemicals giants Dow Chemical and DuPont to see if one of the world's largest tie-ups will reduce competition and harm customers.

"The livelihood of farmers depends on access to seeds and crop protection at competitive prices. We need to make sure that the proposed merger does not lead to higher prices or less innovation for these products," EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said in a statement.