Germany joins other EU countries in banning Roundup over food, health concerns (2024)

Germany’s government has announced that it will ban the controversial herbicide glyphosate, which is commonly sold under the brand name Roundup. Several other countries and local governments are also considering a ban on glyphosate over concerns about its effects on food and the potential cancer risks associated with the weedkiller.

Roundup is manufactured by Monsanto and sold by Bayer, which acquired Monsanto in 2018. Originally developed in the 1970s, Roundup and glyphosate are the most widely used herbicide in the world. In addition to Roundup, Monsanto also produces a line of “Roundup Ready” seeds that are specifically designed to resist the herbicidal effects of glyphosate.

The German government says that it will ban the use of Roundup and glyphosate in the country by 2023. The ban was being issued due to concerns that the chemical has caused insect populations to plunge, with dire potential consequences for the food chain and human health, German officials have stated.

Other Governments Announce Roundup Bans

Germany’s decision to ban glyphosate is the latest move to restrict the use of the herbicide in the European Union. In January 2019, Austria announced that it would ban the use of Roundup after 2022. France banned the use of Roundup 360 in 2019, and announced that it would totally phase out the herbicide by 2021. Other European countries, including Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Scotland, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom have announced that they would ban or consider restrictions on Roundup.

Several other local governments have also announced that they would ban or consider banning Roundup and glyphosate. In Canada, government officials in Montreal announced that they would ban the use of glyphosate by the end of 2019. Prague city officials have announced that they would stop using Roundup in parks or other public land due to concerns about the human and environmental dangers of the herbicide. Officials in Las Cruces, New Mexico have also announced that they would vote to ban Roundup and glyphosate on city property.

Roundup Lawsuits Against Monsanto and Bayer Filed in the U.S.

Concerns about the side effects of Roundup became widespread in the U.S. following the publication of a landmark study about the potential cancer risks associated with the popular herbicide. According to an analysis published by the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in 2015, about 70% of studies analyzed by the agency’s scientists found that exposure to Roundup could increase the risk of cancer.

Monsanto and Bayer have faced thousands of lawsuits in the U.S. over allegations that Roundup may increase the risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma or other cancers. As of September 2019, more than 13,000 Roundup lawsuits had been filed against the two companies by patients who allege that they were diagnosed with cancer after being exposed to the weedkiller.

In 2018, a jury in California awarded $78 million in damages to a groundskeeper who was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma after years of exposure to Roundup. In March 2019, a California homeowner was awarded $80 million in damages after he was diagnosed with lymphoma after 30 years of spraying Roundup on his property. A California couple was awarded $2 billion in damages later in 2019 after they were diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma linked to Roundup.

Contact Us for a Free Legal Consultation

If you or a loved one were diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma or other cancers after being exposed to Roundup, you may qualify to file a lawsuit against Monsanto and Bayer. The first step in taking legal action is to speak with an experienced product liability attorney to learn more about your legal rights.

The lawyers at Hissey, Mulderig & Friend have filed thousands of lawsuits across the U.S. on behalf of consumers who were injured by dangerous chemicals or other substances, defective drugs, harmful medical devices, or other consumer products. Our attorneys believe that all Americans should have the right to experienced, professional legal counsel to ensure that their legal rights are protected.

For more information about filing a Roundup lawsuit and to find out whether you may qualify to file a case, contact the attorneys at Hissey, Mulderig & Friend for a free legal consultation. You can reach us by calling toll-free at 1-866-806-8117, or by filling out our free case evaluation form on the right side of this page.