Bayer Official: Future Of Roundup Unknown Right Now
Brownfield
Bayer says the future of Roundup is in question amid ongoing lawsuits and litigation.
Bayer has paid about $10 billion in Roundup settlements in the last decade. Jess Christiansen, head of crop science communications for Bayer, tells Brownfield claims that Roundup causes cancer are not backed by science.
“Our heart breaks for anybody that has a cancer diagnosis and can appreciate the need to find and look for answers,” she said, “but glyphosate does not cause cancer.”
Christiansen says many options are on the table for the product’s future, including a cease in production.
“It’s one of the possibilities we’ve had to look at for sure,” she said. “I think we’ve had to look at a lot of possibilities that we never thought we would have to look at because of the situation we’re in. I want to be clear that no decisions have been made yet though. Let’s just be very clear about that.”
If Bayer stops selling Roundup, Christiansen says farmers would likely have to turn to China for their glyphosate needs.
“We hope there’s still availability of the product for our farmers, but I think it’s an important component as you think about our national security.”
She says Bayer will continue to stand up against litigation.
“This is bigger than just Bayer and it’s bigger than just glyphosate,” Christiansen said. “This is really about protecting innovation and sound science for our farmers, and innovation across agriculture.”
Earlier this month, Bayer filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court to dismiss cases against Roundup, citing conflicting rulings in recent cases. There are currently 67,000 cases pending against Bayer.