Vietnam Bans Import Of Glyphosate-Based U.S. Herbicides

Vietnam Bans Import Of Glyphosate-Based U.S. Herbicides

Introduction

As the controversial Roundup bellwether trial was closely watched by nations all over the world, Vietnam imposed a ban on the import of glyphosate-based herbicides, after a U.S. court recently ruled that the weed killer played a substantial role in a California man's cancer.

This is the second time Monsanto was found liable for failing to warn about cancer risks of its Roundup products. One of Vietnam's daily newspaper head stated that they issued a document to ban new herbicide imports containing glyphosate, as soon as the recent Roundup verdict was out. The country aims to remove the substance from the list of usable herbicides in Vietnam in the near future. Vietnam's Plant Protection Department instructed businesses to stop approving new import contracts for glyphosate-containing herbicides; however, circulation in the country has not been affected by the decision.

The department also asked business owners and individuals to report back on the production, sales, and storage of these herbicides. Reports indicate the country uses nearly 30,000 tons of the chemical every year.

Currently, Bayer, the Roundup manufacturer faces over 9,300 Roundup lawsuits across the United States. All the lawsuits allege the company's product of causing non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in humans. All the Roundup lawsuits are consolidated into multidistrict litigation in the Northern District of California (MDL No. 2741; In Re: Roundup Products Liability Litigation).