Bayer is signaling it has had enough of litigation, leaving the future of a crop protection tool in limbo.
Executives tell the Wall Street Journal they are nearing the end of the road for glyphosate, the main ingredient in RoundUp. CEO Bill Anderson says they are barely breaking even, and litigation costs often put them in the red.
More than 65,000 cases are pending against Bayer right now, and the company has around $16 billion set aside for settlements.
Anderson stands by glyphosate, saying it has been proven safe to use, even by the FDA. Bayer produces roughly 40 percent of the supply used by U.S. farmers.
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His department will be using a synthetic bait called “Swormlure Five,” which is engineered to smell like an open wound, attracting Screwworm flies to the bait
“We see the opportunity of streamlining the program.”
NCGA estimates that without pesticide use, crop yields could decline by at least 70%.
