In 2015, the World Health Organization said that glyphosate (used in the weed killer Roundup) was “probably carcinogenic to humans.” Independent studies have since shown the weed killer's harmful effects, including links to cancer, reproductive issues, birth defects, antibiotic resistance, and harm to our environment, wildlife, and pollinators.
Roundup has been the subject of multi-million dollar lawsuits brought by the victims of glyphosate. However, Bayer has been lobbying Congress over the past year to push legislation that could shield the company from being held accountable.
Bayer’s mission: to beat claims that Roundup causes cancer.
The measure put forth by Republicans (and drafted with Bayer’s help) is a single section of the House version of the Farm Bill that could halt some lawsuits against Roundup by making it more difficult for farmers and groundskeepers to claim they didn’t know about some of Roundup’s health and safety risks.
Bayer’s intention is to silence victims to protect the company’s profit. Their new legal barriers to bringing cases forward would prevent sizable payouts to plaintiffs, protecting the company from a financial crisis.
For years, Food & Water Watch has fought to end the use of glyphosate. While it was an important win to see biotech giant Bayer remove glyphosate products from lawn and garden centers, our work is not over.
To this day, Roundup continues to be sprayed on cropland, where it poisons people, harms pollinators and their habitat, and pollutes our soil and waterways.
We want to live in a world where no community is exposed to unsafe toxic chemicals, especially when they’re known to cause cancer. And we want polluting corporations to be held legally and financially responsible for their actions, not forgiven by Congress in the blink of an eye.
Food & Water Watch and its affiliated organization, Food & Water Action, are advocacy groups with a common mission to protect our food, water and climate.
This email was sent to [email protected]— and we're glad you got it because it's one of the most important ways you can reclaim political power, hold elected officials accountable and resist corporate control.We're excited to keep working together to make an impact! But if you need to, you can
adjust your preferences or unsubscribe.
