Reuters — Bayer AG failed to persuade a California appeals court to overturn a verdict favouring a school groundskeeper who claimed its Roundup weed killer caused his cancer but reduced the amount of damages by 74 per cent, to US$20.5 million. The decision by the California Court of Appeal came after a San Francisco jury […] Read more
Bayer loses California appeal of Roundup verdict
Damages payable to plaintiff are further reduced
Ben + Jerry’s says ‘happy cows’ lawsuit should be put to pasture
Reuters — Ben + Jerry’s said it does not deceive consumers by saying it used milk and cream from “happy cows” to make its ice cream, and that an environmental advocate’s lawsuit claiming otherwise should be dismissed. In a Monday filing seeking to end the proposed nationwide class action, Ben + Jerry’s said James Ehlers […] Read more
Impossible Whoppers contaminated by meat, suit claims
Reuters — Burger King was sued on Monday by a vegan customer who accused the fast-food chain of contaminating its meatless “Impossible” Whoppers by cooking them on the same grills as its traditional meat burgers. In a proposed class action, Phillip Williams said he bought an Impossible Whopper, a plant-based alternative to Burger King’s regular […] Read more
U.S. meat industry sues California for animal protection ‘overreach’
Reuters — California was sued on Friday by the largest U.S. trade group for meat packers and processors, which wants to block enforcement of a voter-approved measure requiring farmers to provide more space for animals being raised for food. The North American Meat Institute, whose members include processors such as Tyson Foods and retailers including […] Read more
Bayer mediator dismisses report of Roundup settlement
New York/Frankfurt | Reuters — Bayer AG has not offered to pay billions of dollars to settle claims in the United States related to the Roundup herbicide, mediator Ken Feinberg said, dismissing a report to that effect which drove its shares as much as 11 per cent higher. “Bayer has not proposed paying $8 billion […] Read more
Dairy Queen CEO tries to find new tastes, keep franchisees happy
Omaha | Reuters — The chief executive of International Dairy Queen Inc. is counting on the 79-year-old brand, owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, to adapt to changing consumer tastes rather than latch onto the latest fad, while ensuring that rising labour and food costs don’t squelch its franchisees. Troy Bader, who became CEO in […] Read more
R-CALF suit alleges U.S. packers conspired to suppress fed cattle prices
Reuters — Four of the largest U.S. beef-packing companies were accused in a lawsuit on Tuesday of violating federal antitrust law by conspiring to drive down prices they paid ranchers for cattle, even as retail beef prices hovered near record levels. Tyson Foods, Cargill, the JBS USA unit of Brazil’s JBS and National Beef Packing […] Read more
U.S. EPA wins new chance to argue against pesticide ban
Reuters — The Trump administration has persuaded a U.S. appeals court to reconsider its recent decision ordering the Environmental Protection Agency to ban the widely-used pesticide chlorpyrifos, which critics say can harm children and farmers. In an order on Wednesday, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said it will again review former EPA administrator […] Read more
U.S. appeals court orders EPA to ban pesticide said to harm children
New York | Reuters – A divided federal appeals court on Thursday ordered the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to ban a widely-used pesticide that critics say can endanger children and farmers. The 2-1 decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Seattle overturned former EPA administrator Scott Pruitt’s March 2017 denial of a petition by […] Read more
Appeals court revives California ban on foie gras
Reuters — A U.S. federal appeals court on Friday revived a California state law banning the sale of foie gras made from force-fed birds. The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a January 2015 lower court ruling striking down the law, saying the judge erred in concluding that the ban conflicted with a federal […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
