Werner Baumann, CEO of Bayer AG, at the annual general shareholders meeting in Bonn, Germany, May 25, 2018.  Photo: Reuters/File/Wolfgang Rattay

Bayer CEO says would consider glyphosate settlement depending on costs

St. Louis | Reuters – Bayer AG’s chief executive said this week the company might consider settling lawsuits over Monsanto’s glyphosate-containing weed-killers depending on how high court costs rise, but stressed it remained focused on defending the combined company against claims they cause cancer. Bayer acquired Monsanto this year for $63 billion. “If we can settle […] Read more

Plaintiff Dewayne Johnson listens as attorney Brent Wisner, not shown, speaks about his condition at trial in San Francisco on July 9, 2018. (File photo: Josh Edelson/Pool via Reuters)

Bayer likely to get new trial in glyphosate case

San Francisco | Reuters — Bayer’s Monsanto unit was likely to get a new trial on the US$250 million in punitive damages awarded by a jury to a groundskeeper who alleged the company’s glyphosate-based herbicides, including Roundup, caused his cancer. According to a Wednesday court filing in San Francisco’s Superior Court of California, Judge Suzanne […] Read more

Plaintiff Dewayne Johnson listens as attorney Brent Wisner, not shown, speaks about his condition at trial in San Francisco on July 9, 2018. (File photo: Josh Edelson/Pool via Reuters)

Glyphosate maker Monsanto ruled liable in U.S. cancer trial

Reuters — A California jury on Friday found Monsanto liable in a lawsuit filed by a man who alleged the company’s glyphosate-based herbicides, including Roundup, caused his cancer and ordered the company to pay US$289 million in damages. The case of school groundskeeper Dewayne Johnson was the first lawsuit to go to trial alleging glyphosate […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

U.S. judge allows Roundup-related suits to go to trial

Reuters — Hundreds of lawsuits against Monsanto Co. by cancer survivors or families of those who died can proceed to trial, a federal judge ruled on Tuesday, finding there was sufficient evidence for a jury to hear the cases that blame the company’s glyphosate herbicide for the disease. The decision by U.S. District Judge Vince […] Read more

(Jack Dykinga photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Japan suspends sale of Canadian wheat

Tokyo/Winnipeg | Reuters — Japan’s farm ministry said Friday it has suspended its tender and sale of wheat from Canada after grain containing a genetically modified trait was discovered last summer in Alberta. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) said Thursday the wheat containing a genetically modified trait, developed by Monsanto to tolerate Roundup herbicide, […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

U.S. judge halts California plan for warnings on glyphosate

Chicago | Reuters — A federal judge has temporarily blocked California’s plans to require cancer warnings on products containing glyphosate, in a win for manufacturer Monsanto. U.S. District Judge William Shubb said the warnings would be misleading because glyphosate is not known to cause cancer, according to court documents filed on Monday in California. He […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

France says will not ban glyphosate when no alternative

Saint-Genes-Champanelle, France | Reuters — France will not force farmers to stop using glyphosate after a ban planned within three years, in cases where an alternative has not been found, President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday. He added that this would likely concern 10 per cent of farms while solutions could be found for the […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

EU delays decision on glyphosate

Brussels | Reuters — EU countries failed on Wednesday to vote on a licence extension for glyphosate, delaying again a decision on the widely used herbicide that critics say could cause cancer. The European Commission said in a statement the relevant committee did not hold a vote at a meeting and that it would announce […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

France open to phasing out glyphosate

Paris | Reuters — France is open to phasing out common weedkiller glyphosate, the government said on Monday, following complaints from farmers worried about a potential imminent ban. Prime Minister Edouard Philippe reiterated Paris would vote against the European Commission’s proposal to extend for 10 years the licence for glyphosate, which is used in Monsanto’s […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

EU to propose 10-year licence renewal for glyphosate

Brussels | Reuters — The European Commission will propose extending by 10 years its approval for glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide, a spokeswoman said on Wednesday. A transatlantic row over possible risks to human health has prompted investigations by congressional committees in the U.S., and in Europe has forced a delay to […] Read more