Georgia becomes second US state to shield maker of Roundup weed killer
from some cancer claims
[May 13, 2025] By
DAVID A. LIEB
In a victory for global agrochemical maker Bayer, Georgia has become the
second state to shield pesticide manufacturers from some lawsuits
claiming that they failed to warn customers of potential dangers.
The legislation signed Friday by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is designed to
protect Bayer from lawsuits claiming that it failed to tell customers
that its popular weed killer Roundup could cause cancer. It's written
broadly enough to provide legal protection in Georgia to any pesticide
manufacturer that follows federal labeling requirements.
North Dakota's governor signed the first such law last month, and
similar measures have been considered this year in at least nine other
states.
Bayer, based in Germany, acquired Roundup with the 2018 purchase of St.
Louis-based Monsanto. But it quickly was hit with an onslaught of
lawsuits alleging that Roundup’s key ingredient, glyphosate, causes
non-Hodgkin lymphoma. More than 67,000 of a total 181,000 claims
involving Roundup remain outstanding, but a Bayer spokesperson said
Monday that he didn't have specifics about how many of those are in
Georgia.
Though some studies associate glyphosate with cancer, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency has said it is not likely to be
carcinogenic to humans when used as directed.
Bayer insists glyphosate is safe. But it has stopped using the
ingredient in its residential version of Roundup and has set aside $16
billion to settle cases. It continues to use glyphosate in its
agricultural version of Roundup but has warned that it might have to
stop doing so if the legal costs keep mounting.
The new Georgia law is to take effect Jan. 1. That means it won't effect
existing cases, such as a March decision by a Georgia jury to award
nearly $2.1 billion in damages to a man who alleged Roundup caused his
cancer.
[to top of second column] |
Containers of Roundup are displayed on a store shelf in San
Francisco, Feb. 24, 2019. (AP Photo/Haven Daley, File)
 Kemp decided to sign the legislation
after hearing from farmers and others in the agricultural community,
spokesperson Garrison Douglas said Monday.
Bayer has teamed up with a coalition of agricultural industry groups
to mount a multiprong campaign. In addition to pursuing legislation
in states and Congress, it also has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to
intervene and has run ads on billboards, newspapers, TV and radio
stations and internet sites touting the importance of glyphosate in
agriculture.
Glyphosate has for decades been used an efficient way to control
weeds with less tilling, which helps prevent soil erosion. For some
crops, such as corn, soybeans and cotton, Roundup is designed to
work with genetically modified seeds that resist glyphosate’s deadly
effect.
Without glyphosate, weeds could become harder to control, crop
yields could decline and groceries could become more costly, Bayer
said.
The new law “demonstrates that Georgia stands with its farmers, who
work tirelessly to produce safe and affordable food,” said Brian
Naber, president of Bayer's crop sciences in North America,
Australia and New Zealand.
___
Associated Press writer Jeff Amy contributed to this report.
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
