In a victory for global agrochemical maker, Bayer, Georgia has become the second state to shield pesticide manufacturers from some lawsuits claiming that they failed to warn customers of potential dangers.
The legislation, signed Friday by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, is designed to protect Bayer from lawsuits claiming that it failed to tell customers that its popular weed killer Roundup could cause cancer. It’s written broadly enough to provide legal protection in Georgia to any pesticide manufacturer that follows federal labeling requirements.
Bayer insists glyphosate is safe, but it has stopped using the ingredient in its residential version of Roundup and has set aside $16 billion to settle cases.
It continues to use glyphosate in its agricultural version of Roundup but has warned that it might have to stop doing so if the legal costs keep mounting.
