Another setback for the German giant.

A San Francisco appeals court has again ruled that Bayer's weedkiller Roundup causes cancer.

On Monday, she therefore rejected the agrochemical company's appeal and upheld a 2019 judgment in favor of a couple claiming to have fallen ill after using the famous product for years.

However, the court upheld a judge's decision to drastically reduce the amount of compensation awarded by the jury to the couple Alva and Alberta Pilliod.

Originally set at $ 2 billion, it was lowered to $ 86.7 million.

Glyphosate, classified as "probable carcinogen"

Since the acquisition in 2018 of the American agrochemical company Monsanto, producer of Roundup, Bayer has faced a series of proceedings in the United States.

On Tuesday, he said he “respectfully disagrees with the decision of the court” in San Francisco, which he said is not based on any tangible evidence.

“We continue to be a strong advocate for the safety of Roundup, a position backed by four decades of in-depth scientific data and assessments from major health regulatory bodies around the world that support its safe use,” said a spokesperson for the group.

Bayer clarified that "Monsanto will study its legal options in this matter."

Glyphosate, the main component of Roundup, is nevertheless classified as a "probable carcinogen" by the International Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Health Organization (WHO).

In his ruling, the judge said Monsanto had shown an “uncompromising refusal to inform the public” about the dangers of a product it made widely available in American hardware stores.

"Monsanto knew that studies supporting the safety of Roundup were not valid when the Pilliods started spraying Roundup in their backyard, without gloves or protective gear, prompted by television commercials," said the judgment.

Bayer sinks under compensation

Overwhelmed by these procedures, Bayer suffered a net loss of 2.3 billion euros in the second quarter. The group has indeed spent additional provisions of 4.5 billion dollars (3.8 billion euros) to deal with the lawsuits. He had signed in June 2020 a broad agreement of more than 10 billion dollars to put an end to some 125,000 complaints. But a U.S. judge in May rejected part of that plan, which would have limited the cost of future class action claims. According to the judge, the deal does not sufficiently protect the interests of people who used Roundup before February 2021 and have not yet been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system.

In May, a San Francisco court also upheld a conviction against Bayer to pay $ 25 million in damages to California retiree Edwin Hardeman, who was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2015. Bayer reported on Tuesday. that Monsanto planned to "file a petition with the United States Supreme Court this month" in the case.

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