(Frankfurt) The German agrochemical giant Bayer announced on Wednesday a vast compensation agreement, for an amount of approximately 10 billions of dollars, in the context of litigation against thousands of complainants in the United States on Roundup, a pesticide accused of being carcinogenic.
France Media Agency
This agreement on this glyphosate weedkiller, which was marketed by its subsidiary Monsanto, "will put an end to approximately 63% disputes "involving this product," which concern approximately 125 00 0 complaints in total, "said Bayer in a statement.
The transaction agreement will "end a long period of uncertainty", said Werner Baumann, its chief executive, quoted in the press release.
"It resolves current complaints and sets up a clear mechanism to manage the risks of potential future disputes. It is financially reasonable given the significant financial risks that litigation over several years would involve, "not to mention the damage to its" reputation, "he added.
Bayer will pay between $ 8.8 billion and $ 9.6 billion to resolve the dispute, and 1, 25 billion dollars [...] in order to resolve possible future disputes, "it was specified in the press release.
The German group has lost its first three trials in the United States linked to glyphosate, which are not included in this agreement and for which Bayer indicates that it will continue to challenge them on appeal.
Having bought in 2018 its rival Monsanto for 63 billion dollars , the German has since faced thousands of complaints about the alleged cancer risks associated with the use of Monsanto weed killers such as Roundup.
In this case, Bayer faces 52 500 lawsuits in the United States. He continues to challenge the very principle of his responsibility, hammering for months that no regulator in the world has concluded that glyphosate is dangerous since it was put on the market in the middle of the years 1970.
