The Titans of the Agrochemical Industry

While the controversy over the harmfulness of glyphosate is once again in the headlines, Monsanto (a subsidiary of the Bayer group) has just been ordered to pay $2 billion to a couple suffering from cancer that they attribute to Roundup. This new conviction comes after the group was forced to pay $78 million and $80 million to two other plaintiffs last October and March.

The total damages related to these Roundup trials now amount to approximately $2.16 billion, or just over €1.9 billion. This sum represents approximately 18% of the $11.7 billion in agrochemical sales generated by the sector leader in 2018. Bayer expressed its "disappointment" with the verdict and announced its intention to appeal, as with the two previous convictions. But this may only be the beginning of judicial setbacks for the group, as thousands of proceedings against Roundup are currently underway in the United States.