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Missouri court grants preliminary approval for $7.3 billion nationwide Roundup settlement

A state court in Missouri has granted preliminary approval to a proposed U.S nationwide class action settlement to resolve current and future claims against Roundup™. Bayer has proposed a $7.3 billion national settlement.

Brian Naber president for the North America, Australia, and New Zealand Region for Bayer Crop Science and a member of the Global Executive Leadership Team says finding a resolution is important.  “On one side, this is an issue that we said we would get contained in 2026,” he says.  “That is important because then that allows us to contain this and then go back to what we do best, which is focus on innovation for farmers.”

Earlier this year, the Supreme Court announced it would review the Durnell Roundup case which could provide regulatory clarity. The Supreme Court ruling on the Durnell case will decide whether federal pesticide law (FIFRA) overrides state failure‑to‑warn claims regarding Roundup’s labeling when the EPA did not require a cancer warning.

Naber tells Brownfield the EPA approval is the gold standard for science and it’s critical in ensuring companies like Bayer can continue to innovate. “They are the regulator of crop protection products,” he says. “And when they approve a product, only to then come back into the states and have lawsuits against you for claims like failure to warn is not a place that innovators can be in U.S. agriculture.”

The next stage of the process for the class action settlement includes notifying potential class members and initiating a 90-day opt-out and objection period that will run through June 4^th.

Brownfield’s Cyndi Young interviewed Naber during the recent Commodity Classic in San Antonio, Texas.