In the latest blow to Bayer, a farmer in Australia is suing the German pharmaceuticals company over its Roundup weedkiller, contending that it caused his leukemia.
New South Wales farmer Ross Wild was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma last year after using Monsanto’s weed killer Roundup on his farm since 1976, the Australian Broadcasting Commission reported. Bayer bought St. Louis-based Monsanto last year for $63 billion.
In June, a gardener in Australia sued Bayer over Roundup. Michael Ogalirolo, a self-employed gardener from Melbourne, said he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma after using Monsanto’s Roundup for more than 20 years.
“We have great sympathy for any individual with cancer, but the extensive body of science on glyphosate-based herbicides over four decades supports the conclusion that Roundup does not cause non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma,” Bayer said at the time.
Bayer has been hit with 18,400 lawsuits claiming that prolonged use of Roundup caused cancer. In the first three Roundup cases to go to trial, all in California, juries awarded plaintiffs more than $2 billion for cancer claims, though the awards were significantly reduced by judges. Bayer said it plans further appeals in the cases.
This week, a Roundup trial scheduled for later this month in St. Louis was delayed as Bayer seeks a settlement with U.S. plaintiffs. A mediator has been trying to negotiate a deal.