MONSANTO LOSES FINAL APPEAL OVER FRENCH FARMER’S WEED KILLER CASE

Bayer's Monsanto division lost a final appeal in a long-running French legal battle in which the crop chemical maker has been held liable for the accidental inhalation of a weed killer by a crop farmer. 

Monsanto had been trying to overturn a decision by an appeals court in 2019 that had found the company’s product safety information to have been inadequate in relation to the accident involving farmer Paul Francois in 2004. 

France’s highest court rejected Monsanto’s latest appeal in a ruling published on Wednesday, opening the way for another court to decide on what damages should be awarded to Francois. The farmer has argued that the fumes he inhaled from the weed killer Lasso, a product that was subsequently withdrawn from the French market, caused neurological problems, including memory loss, fainting and headaches. 

Bayer said in an emailed statement that it was reviewing the court ruling. Bayer also said in the statement that court-appointed medical experts had found previously that the incident did not cause the illnesses cited by Francois. Crop protection products “do not present a risk to human health if they are used under the conditions of use defined in the context of their marketing authorization,” Bayer said.