A bipartisan group of former leaders of America's major agricultural commodity associations and biofuels organizations, farmer leaders, and former senior USDA officials sent congressional ag leaders a letter on Tuesday…
Bayer Proposes $7.25 Billion Roundup Settlement
The Associated Press’ David A. Lieb reported that “agrochemical maker Bayer and attorneys for cancer patients announced a proposed $7.25 billion settlement Tuesday to resolve thousands of U.S. lawsuits alleging the company failed to warn people that its popular weedkiller Roundup could cause cancer.”
“The proposed settlement comes as the U.S. Supreme Court is preparing to hear arguments in April on Bayer’s assertion that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s approval of Roundup without a cancer warning should invalidate claims filed in state courts,” Lieb reported. “That case would not be affected by the proposed settlement.”
“But the settlement would eliminate some of the risk from an eventual Supreme Court ruling. Patients would be assured of receiving settlement money even if the Supreme Court rules in Bayer’s favor,” Lieb reported. “And Bayer would be protected from potentially larger costs if the high court rules against it.”
“The newly proposed nationwide settlement is designed to address most of the remaining lawsuits (against Bayer), as well as any additional cases brought in the coming years by people who were exposed to Roundup before Tuesday,” Lieb reported. “If too many plaintiffs opt out of the proposed settlement, Bayer said it reserves the right to cancel it. But Bayer did not specify how many opt-outs would have to occur.”
“The deal calls for Bayer to make annual payments into a special fund for up to 21 years, totaling as much as $7.25 billion,” Lieb reported. “The amount of money paid out to individuals would vary depending on how they used Roundup, how old they were when diagnosed and the severity of their non-Hodgkin lymphoma.”
“An agricultural, industrial or turf worker exposed at length to Roundup would receive an average of $165,000 if they were diagnosed with an aggressive form of the illness while younger than age 60, according to the proposed settlement,” Lieb reported. “Meanwhile, a residential Roundup user diagnosed between the ages of 60-77 with a less aggressive form of the illness would receive an average of $20,000. And those diagnosed at age 78 or older would get an average of $10,000.”
Update on Roundup Litigation: Today, a proposed U.S. nationwide class settlement was announced, designed to resolve eligible current and future RoundupTM claims through a long-term claims program. More details can be found in the link below. https://t.co/nYS4cxH9iX
— Bayer AG (@Bayer) February 17, 2026
Progressive Farmer’s Todd Neeley reported that “Bayer said it would use a secured bank loan facility of $8 billion to fund the resolution of the cases.”
“‘The proposed class settlement agreement, together with the Supreme Court case, provides an essential path out of the litigation uncertainty and enables us to devote our full attention to furthering the innovations that lie at the core of our mission: health for all, hunger for none,’ said Bill Anderson, CEO of Bayer,” according to Neeley’s reporting. “‘This litigation and the resulting cost underscore the need for guidance from the Supreme Court on clear regulation in American agriculture.'”
Supreme Court Case Remains Important Despite Proposed Settlement
Reuters’ Diana Novak Jones reported that “Tuesday’s proposed settlement comes after the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear an appeal in a case that Bayer argues will sharply limit its liability in the litigation. The company said the Supreme Court case, scheduled for oral arguments at the end of April, remains essential to resolving the Roundup litigation.”
“Bayer is arguing that consumers should not be able to sue it under state law for failing to warn that Roundup increases cancer risk because the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has found no such risk and requires no such warning,” Novak Jones reported. “Bayer argued that federal law does not allow it to add any warning to the product beyond the EPA-approved label.”
“Markus Manns, portfolio manager at Bayer shareholder Union Investment, cautioned Tuesday’s proposal was ‘not yet the breakthrough that many investors had hoped for,'” Novak Jones reported. “‘The settlement buys Bayer time, but without a win in the Supreme Court, a new wave of lawsuits could roll over Bayer in a few years,’ he said.”
Bayer Still Faces About 67,000 Active Lawsuits
The Lawsuit Information Center’s Ronald V. Miller, Jr. reported that “Bayer has already paid more than $10 billion in prior verdicts and settlements and still faces roughly 67,000 active claims.”
“In addition (to the proposed settlement), the company has quietly reached at least $3 billion in separate settlements of pending cases, including the resolution of a $2.1 billion Georgia verdict,” Miller, Jr. reported.
