The company says it is sharing information with producers on the value of using strategies to manage weed resistance
WINNIPEG — Bayer began its acquisition of Monsanto in 2016, and the takeover was finalized in 2018. With the transaction, Bayer became the rights holder of Roundup, which Monsanto commercialized in 1974. The patent on Roundup expired in 2000, allowing other companies to produce generic versions of glyphosate, the ingredient in Roundup that kills weeds. […] Read moreTag Archives Monsanto
Major Bayer shareholder backs CEO’s strategy
Company has angered some shareholders with its plan to put breakup on hold while focusing on internal restructuring
FRANKFURT, Germany (Reuters) — Major Bayer shareholder Harris Associates has come out in strong support of the drug maker’s decision to suspend work on breaking up the diversified group, giving breathing room to its embattled chief executive officer. The endorsement takes some pressure off CEO Bill Anderson, who had earlier said he will pause for […] Read more
Bayer postpones breakup amidst financial woes
Company says it needs time to reduce debt, deal with legal challenges, pursue more job cuts and improve decision making
FRANKFURT, Germany (Reuters) — Bayer will hold off on plans to break apart the group for up to three years so that the new chief executive officer can focus on problems including debt and litigation. The move leaves investors dubious about whether enough is being done to revive the company’s fortunes. “Our answer is ‘not […] Read more
More ag investment urged
CALGARY — Canada must strengthen its public and private funding for research and development of innovation in the agri-food industry if the sector is to remain competitive with rival exporting nations, warned an expert. Public funding for such innovation in Canada has fallen to seventh in the world at 0.046 percent of gross domestic product, […] Read more
U.S. court blocks glyphosate labels
REUTERS — A divided federal appeals court said California cannot require businesses to warn consumers about the potential dangers of glyphosate, an ingredient in Roundup that has been linked to cancer. Upholding a permanent injunction, the ninth United States Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco found it unconstitutional to force Bayer’s Monsanto unit, which […] Read more
Bayer will consider breakup
Speaking to reporters at Bayer’s headquarters in Leverkusen, incoming CEO Bill Anderson offered clues as to his vision for the company, stressing a focus on results and advancing science, while keeping open the question of a breakup.
Roundup Ready canola patent set to expire
The most controversial patent in all of agriculture will cease to exist next year. Bayer’s Roundup Ready canola patent expires on April 26, 2022. It was at the heart of a lengthy legal battle between Monsanto, which owned the patent before being acquired by Bayer in 2018, and Bruno, Sask., farmer Percy Schmeiser. The case […] Read more
Percy and me
This isn’t a post about Percy Schmeiser, the real-life Bruno, Sask. farmer, and me, the Western Producer reporter. This is about Percy the Myth, now of Hollywood movie fame (played by Christopher Walken,) and me, the Western Producer reporter. I’ve never much engaged with the mythology of Percy, who became a cause celebre for anti-genetically […] Read more
Bayer faces obstacles settling Roundup lawsuits
(Reuters) — Bayer is in mediation to potentially settle thousands of American lawsuits claiming that the company’s Roundup weed killer causes cancer, but some legal experts said the cases raise questions that may prevent an easy settlement. More than 18,400 plaintiffs claim Roundup causes a type of cancer called non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Bayer to date has […] Read more
Bayer looks for new herbicides
FRANKFURT, Germany (Reuters) — Germany’s Bayer seeks to repair its reputation after damage caused by litigation in United States over claims its glyphosate pesticide causes cancer. It has promised to invest five billion euros (C$7.5 billion) in weed killer research. Bayer’s shares hit seven-year lows after a California couple was last month awarded more than […] Read more
