Bayer Announces Five-point Plan to Resolve Roundup Claims

Bayer Announces Five-point Plan to Resolve Roundup Claims

Introduction

Bayer has announced a five-point plan to deal with potential future Roundup claims following the denial of the proposed preliminary motion plan by Judge Vince Chhabria of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

The plan includes a combination of legal and commercial actions to help the company resolve the ongoing and future Roundup claims effectively.

The denial of the preliminary approval has closed the chances of a fair mechanism for all the parties as it has eliminated the MDL that would have prevented future Roundup claims. Bayer can still deal with future claims with the help of the current plan the company has put forward in court. The spokesperson for Bayer stated that worldwide expert regulators are in support of glyphosate-based herbicides by saying that they are safe for use. Even the brief affirmed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit claimed that glyphosate is not harmful to humans.

The five-point plan:

1. Bayer will create and promote a new website that will include relevant scientific studies of Roundup's safety and EPA approved labels. It will help the company to maintain transparency about its products and ensure safety to the users. Users can evaluate the provided studies and labels before using the products.
2. Bayer will continue to sell its product in the residential lawn and garden market. The company will discuss the future of glyphosate-based products in the U.S. residential market as most of the claimants alleged the use of Roundup Lawn and Garden products. The discussion would not affect the sale of glyphosate-based products in the market.
3. The company will create a scientific advisory panel of external expert scientists to review scientific information regarding the safety of Roundup. The results of these researches will be displayed on the website for better transparency and a detailed record about the safety of the products.
4. Bayer will settle existing claims by thoroughly reassessing them. The company will focus on resolving the claims if they are on appropriate terms.
5. Continuing the appeals of pending cases to manage future liability risk for the company as it will continue through the legal process. The company has a favorable decision by the U.S. Supreme court and strong legal arguments to deal with the claims and reduce future liability risk.

The company is confident enough that the five-point plan will surely manage and address future liability risks of potential Roundup claims.