Reuters — A plan by California environmental officials to list a commonly used herbicide as cancer-causing should be withdrawn, Monsanto told state regulators on Tuesday, saying California’s actions could be considered illegal because they are not considering valid scientific evidence. The formal comments were filed by Monsanto with the state’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment […] Read more
Monsanto asks California not to list herbicide as cancer cause
Suits stack up over alleged Roundup cancer link
Reuters — Personal injury law firms around the U.S. are lining up plaintiffs for what they say could be “mass tort” actions against agrichemical giant Monsanto that claim the company’s Roundup herbicide has caused cancer in farm workers and others exposed to the chemical. The latest lawsuit was filed Wednesday in Delaware Superior Court by three […] Read more
Monsanto slashing 2,600 jobs, buying back shares as sales fall
Reuters — Monsanto, one of the world’s largest seed and agrichemical companies, said Wednesday that it was slashing 2,600 jobs and restructuring operations to cut costs in a slumping commodity market. The company, which said it expected low prices for agricultural products to squeeze results well into 2016, also reported a much wider quarterly loss […] Read more
U.S. workers sue Monsanto claiming herbicide caused cancer
Reuters — A U.S. farm worker and a horticultural assistant have filed lawsuits claiming Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide caused their cancers and Monsanto intentionally misled the public and regulators about the dangers of the herbicide. The lawsuits come six months after the World Health Organization’s cancer research unit said it was classifying glyphosate, the active weed-killing […] Read more
U.S. court finds EPA wrong to approve sulfoxaflor over bee risks
Reuters — A U.S. appeals court ruled on Thursday that federal regulators erred in allowing an insecticide developed by Dow AgroSciences onto the market, canceling its approval and giving environmentalists a major victory. The ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, in San Francisco, is significant for commercial beekeepers and others […] Read more
Monsanto no longer pursuing Syngenta
Reuters — U.S. agribusiness leader Monsanto on Wednesday abandoned pursuit of Swiss rival Syngenta, which had rejected a recently sweetened US$47 billion offer. Syngenta shares fell more than 18 per cent on the news, while Monsanto shares jumped more than seven per cent. The Swiss agrichemicals group said its board unanimously rejected the offer, which it […] Read more
U.S. regulator sued for withholding information on GMOs
Reuters — A food safety advocacy group sued an arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Tuesday, saying it illegally withheld public information on genetically engineered crops. The lawsuit, brought by the Center for Food Safety (CFS) against USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), claims the regulator has routinely failed to respond […] Read more
Scientists seek review of glyphosate, allege ‘flawed’ regulations
Reuters — U.S. regulators have relied on flawed and outdated research to allow expanded use of an herbicide linked to cancer, and new assessments should be urgently conducted, according to a column published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday. There are two key factors that necessitate regulatory action to protect human health, […] Read more
U.S. farm, consumer groups aim to block Monsanto bid for Syngenta
Reuters — Several U.S. farm and consumer groups are working on strategies to derail a proposed tie-up of Monsanto and agricultural seeds and chemicals rival Syngenta, saying a combination of the market leaders would spell fewer and higher-priced products. Coalitions of opponents are being formed and market analyses being done, moves that underscore the hurdles […] Read more
In bid for Syngenta, Monsanto woos U.S. farmer support
Reuters — As Monsanto struggles to convince rival Syngenta to discuss a potential merger, the seed and agrochemical giant is also wooing U.S. farmers, aiming to ease concerns about the proposed tie-up that could prompt regulatory challenges. Company executives have been criss-crossing the U.S. heartland, meeting with soybean and corn growers and a range of […] Read more
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