German pharmaceutical company Bayer announced Thursday that global supplies of glyphosate will remain unaffected following a presidential executive order that invoked the Defense Production Act to secure domestic herbicide availability.
The company stated that the executive order highlights the critical importance of ensuring American farmers maintain access to the widely-used weedkiller, but emphasized that the action will not create supply disruptions in international markets.
Last August, Bayer warned it might halt glyphosate manufacturing in the United States without regulatory reforms to address ongoing litigation that has significantly impacted the German corporation. While Bayer remains the sole domestic producer of glyphosate, American agriculture also relies heavily on generic versions imported from China.
The pharmaceutical giant has spent years defending against disputed liability claims alleging the herbicide causes cancer. This week, Bayer announced a settlement agreement worth up to $7.25 billion to resolve thousands of related lawsuits.
In a separate legal development, Bayer successfully petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to review an appeal that could substantially reduce the company’s exposure to future litigation, primarily filed by residential gardening consumers.
The Supreme Court agreed to consider the case after the Trump administration endorsed Bayer’s position that federal glyphosate regulations, which generally favor the company, should override state laws cited by lawsuit plaintiffs.
