Glyphosate: Bayer wins major legal victory over RoundUp

The German giant Bayer, which bought Monsanto in 2018, has always disputed the carcinogenic risk of its herbicide RoundUp. Robyn Beck / AFP

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It is the most controversial herbicide in the world, RoundUp, which contains glyphosate, has been classified by the WHO as a substance "probably carcinogenic". But in the United States, it will now be sold without any warning about the possible risk of cancer for its users. A decision made by a Californian judge earlier this week. An important legal victory for the manufacturer of RoundUp, the German agrochemical giant Bayer.

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California had ordered Monsanto by prescription to mention the carcinogenic risk of RoundUp on the label of this weedkiller. A risk that Bayer, which bought Monsanto in 2018, has always disputed. For the German group, its glyphosate products are harmless if used according to the instructions.

The Californian judge agreed with Bayer. According to him, "  several organizations  ", including the American environmental protection agency, have concluded that there is insufficient evidence showing that glyphosate causes cancer . For Bayer, this decision is all the more important since RoundUp is one of its flagship products, and especially in the United States.

Ten billion dollars in compensation

It now remains for the German giant to resolve the problem posed by 50,000 Americans: those who have taken legal action for having developed cancers after using RoundUp. This Tuesday, we learned that Bayer would be close to an agreement with their lawyers. The company could pay up to ten billion dollars in compensation to permanently close the thorny case of glyphosate in the United States.

► Read also: Roundup trial: Monsanto ordered to pay $ 2 billion, a record

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