Bayer is getting out of a US settlement procedure

The German chemical company Bayer is getting out of a US settlement procedure for possible future plaintiffs in the dispute over the glyphosate-containing weed killer Roundup - and is putting the sale of Roundup to US private customers to the test. The company announced after a federal judge in San Francisco rejected the proposal for an agreement between Bayer and plaintiffs' attorneys. "The decision makes it impossible to further develop the proposed national solution mechanism under the supervision of this court, which would have been the fairest and most efficient solution for all parties," said Bayer. Instead, the group presented a "five-point plan for effectively dealing with potential future glyphosate lawsuits". This includes "legal as well as commercial steps that serve to deal with the risks from the legal complex in a way that is comparable to the solution mechanism proposed so far". Bayer also announced that it will be reviewing its range of glyphosate-containing herbicides such as Roundup for US private customers. "The company will continue to be active in the US private customer market, but will immediately discuss the future of glyphosate-based products in this market with partners," said the Leverkusen-based group. "These discussions do not concern the availability of glyphosate-based products for professional users and agriculture." Bayer wants to settle the legal disputes over a possible carcinogenic effect of Roundup with compensation payments totaling around eleven billion dollars. About $ 9 billion of this is earmarked for around 125,000 plaintiffs whose lawsuits have already been filed or are in preparation. Two billion dollars are earmarked for possible future lawsuits.