* Justice Dept declines to name targets
* Monsanto had said it was a target
WASHINGTON, Jan 14 (Reuters) - The Justice Department has opened a formal antitrust investigation of the seed industry, spokeswoman Gina Talamona said on Thursday.
Monsanto Co (MON.N) had said earlier on Thursday that the department had sent it a civil investigative demand for information on the company's soybean traits business after complaints that Monsanto was trying to limit access to push a new, pricier product instead.
"The antitrust division is investigating the possibility of anticompetitive practices in the seed industry," Talamona said, while declining to discuss which companies were the target of the probe.
Seed dealers, Monsanto rivals and others have complained that the company was creating conditions, through contracts with seed dealers and other means, that would unfairly push farmers to buy its new Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans and away from the first-generation, lower-priced Roundup Ready beans. (Reporting by Diane Bartz; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)
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