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Bayer Enters Decisive Weeks as Roundup Settlement Vote and Supreme Court Ruling Near

Forthcoming U.S. rulings could reset Bayer's footing in courts, shaping its role in the U.S. farm market.

Overview

  • Bayer, which reported Tuesday a 9% rise in first‑quarter operating profit to about €4.4–€4.5 billion, said crop‑science sales grew roughly 7% with about €450 million from a one‑time Corteva license deal.
  • In early June, roughly 67,000 remaining Roundup claimants decide whether to stay in a settlement that would pay up to €7.25 billion, a step that could shrink Bayer’s case load at once.
  • By late July, the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule on whether Bayer had to add cancer warnings to Roundup labels, a decision that could weaken many lower‑court claims if the justices say no warning was required.
  • After Congress stripped proposed liability shields from the Farm Bill, CEO Bill Anderson criticized lawmakers and warned Bayer could pull glyphosate from the U.S., citing a risk that supply would otherwise hinge on China.
  • Legal uncertainty has already delayed the U.S. launch of Bayer’s new insecticide Plenexos, even as the company continues to absorb costs from the 2018 Monsanto deal that have topped €10 billion.