June 9, 2025:
Bayer executives have been warning in recent weeks that after losing billions of dollars to Roundup case settlements and jury awards, they may be ready to give up the fight and get out of the glyphosate business. In the US, there is no broad protection for producers of pesticides, so manufacturers can comply with the federal regulatory labeling requirements and still get sued for failing to warn, Bayer CEO Bill Anderson told investors in a recent conference call. Anderson said that is one factor among others as the company questions whether or not it should continue production of glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup and its other branded weedkillers. Glyphosate, introduced by Monsanto in the 1970s, is the world’s most widely used herbicidal chemical. The company has already removed glyphosate from consumer herbicide products sold in the US. Now, the ongoing litigation threatens Bayer’s ability to continue to supply glyphosate-based products to farmers and other professional users, the company said.
May 22, 2025:
Bayer is continuing its push to resolve lawsuits linking Roundup, its popular weedkiller, to cancer.
People familiar with the matter told the Wall Street Journal that the company is also exploring a bankruptcy filing for its Monsanto agriculture business in case the settlement plan fails. Bayer is drawing up plans to try and resolve some of its mass lawsuits over Roundup through proceedings in a Missouri state court, where a majority are still pending. Given its past difficulties in ending the Roundup litigation in civil courts, the German drug and agriculture conglomerate is preparing, as another option, a bankruptcy filing covering the weedkiller’s U.S. manufacturer, Monsanto.
One possible option, the Texas Two Step, has yielded mixed results after court rulings curbed the use of Chapter 11 to protect solvent companies from litigation. Bayer is exploring the option of placing Monsanto’s U.S. business directly into Chapter 11.
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