Bayer Fights to Protect Roundup Weedkiller Amid Cancer Lawsuits

The German chemical giant is waging an all-out campaign to shield its top-selling product from liability and regulation.

Published on Mar. 9, 2026

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Bayer, the German chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturer, has launched an extensive lobbying and legal campaign to protect its top-selling weedkiller Roundup (whose active ingredient is glyphosate) from liability and regulation. This comes after thousands of Americans have sued the company, alleging that exposure to Roundup caused their cancer. Bayer has deployed teams of lawyers and lobbyists to influence government decisions at all levels, from the White House to state legislatures, in an effort to shield Roundup from further legal challenges and maintain its $2.8 billion annual market.

Why it matters

The battle over Roundup highlights the clash between corporate power and public health concerns. Bayer's aggressive tactics to protect its lucrative product demonstrate the influence that large companies can wield, even when their products are linked to serious health issues. This case raises broader questions about how the 'haves' - wealthy corporations - can use their resources to override the concerns of the 'have nots' - ordinary citizens who rely on the courts and public advocacy to address public health risks.

The details

Since 2018, when a San Francisco jury awarded $289 million to a groundskeeper who blamed his terminal cancer on Roundup exposure, Bayer has spent $14 billion in judgments to over 115,000 Americans who developed cancer and argued they were not warned about the chemical's carcinogenic potential. In response, Bayer has mounted an aggressive campaign to protect its Roundup market, lobbying the White House, Congress, federal agencies, and state legislatures. The company is also supporting a Supreme Court case arguing that federal pesticide regulations preempt state-level liability lawsuits.

  • In 2018, a San Francisco jury awarded $289 million to a groundskeeper who blamed his terminal cancer on Roundup exposure.
  • Over the past two years, Bayer has spent a total of $14 billion in judgments to 115,000 Americans who developed cancer and argued they were not warned about Roundup's carcinogenic potential.
  • Last month, President Trump signed an executive order invoking the Defense Production Act to declare the domestic production of glyphosate a matter of national defense, shielding Bayer from liability.
  • The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a case next month regarding Bayer's argument that federal pesticide regulations preempt state-level liability lawsuits.

The players

Bayer A.G.

A German chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturer that acquired Monsanto, the maker of Roundup, in 2018 for $63 billion.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

A lead attorney for the groundskeeper in the 2018 case against Bayer, and the head of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement, which has helped elect officials and establish a MAHA program at the Department of Health and Human Services.

Bill Anderson

Bayer's chief executive, who has said the company is 'reaching the end of our road' and may cease U.S. production of glyphosate if the company continues to lose liability trials.

D. John Sauer

The U.S. solicitor general, who filed a brief last year restating Bayer's argument that federal pesticide regulations preempt state-level liability lawsuits.

Chellie Pingree

A Democratic U.S. Representative from Maine who is preparing an amendment to the federal Farm Bill that would remove language immunizing Bayer from liability.

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What they’re saying

“Unfortunately, our agricultural system depends heavily on these chemicals.”

— Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Social media)

“MAHA voters were promised health reform, not chemical entrenchment.”

— Vani Hari, MAHA leader and blogger known as the Food Babe (Reported by media)

“Expanding the production of glyphosate, a pesticide derided by the MAHA movement, is a commitment to perpetuating the toxic, chemical food system that has created a sick and infertile American population. It is ironic that this move is made on behalf of national security, when the chemical destruction of both human and soil health is what actually threatens our national security and future as a productive nation.”

— Kelly Ryerson, Activist MAHA leader known as 'Glyphosate Girl' (Reported by media)

What’s next

The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear Bayer's case next month regarding whether federal pesticide regulations preempt state-level liability lawsuits. Additionally, the EPA is due later this year to finish reevaluating its nearly decade-old determination that glyphosate is safe for humans and the environment.

The takeaway

Bayer's aggressive campaign to protect its lucrative Roundup product highlights the power imbalance between large corporations and ordinary citizens. This case demonstrates how wealthy companies can leverage their resources to influence government decisions, even when their products are linked to serious public health concerns. The outcome of this battle will set a precedent for how future fights over water, food, and health are decided between the 'haves' and the 'have nots' in America.