Bayer Statement Regarding the Court’s Denial of the Plaintiff’s Motion for Consolidation in the JCCP

The following is Bayer’s statement regarding an order by Judge Winifred Y. Smith in the Superior Court of the State of California for the County of Alameda denying plaintiffs’ motion for consolidation.

“We appreciate the court’s willingness to examine closely the possibility that the potential for bias is high in a multi-plaintiff trial. We continue to believe that separate trials for each plaintiff is more appropriate given their distinct medical histories, diagnoses, and exposures. No matter how these cases ultimately proceed, we believe that the extensive scientific evidence will show that our glyphosate-based herbicides are not carcinogenic and were not the cause of the plaintiffs’ cancer.

“Glyphosate-based herbicides have been used safely and successfully for over four decades worldwide and are a valuable tool to help farmers deliver crops to markets and practice sustainable farming by reducing soil tillage, soil erosion and carbon emissions. There is an extensive body of research on glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicides, including more than 800 rigorous studies submitted to EPA, European and other regulators in connection with the registration process, that confirms that these products are safe when used as directed. Notably, the largest and most recent epidemiologic study – the 2018 independent National Cancer Institute-supported long-term study that followed over 50,000 pesticide applicators for more than 20 years and was published after the IARC monograph – found no association between glyphosate-based herbicides and cancer. Additionally, EPA’s 2017 post-IARC cancer risk assessment examined more than 100 studies the agency considered relevant and concluded that glyphosate is ‘not likely to be carcinogenic to humans,’ its most favorable rating.”