Dive Brief:
- Monsanto asked California state legislators to withdraw a plan to list glyphosate, the main component of Monsanto's Roundup, as a cancer-causing agent per Proposition 65, which requires the state to publish a list of carcinogenic chemicals.
- Monsanto said "California's actions could be considered illegal because they are not considering valid scientific evidence," according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
- If the state's effort goes through, Monsanto could have to provide a "clear and reasonable" warning as required for products on the Prop 65 list.
Dive Insight:
This all began when WHO declared glyphosate to be probably carcinogenic back in March. Since WHO's announcement, "firms representing U.S. farm workers have filed lawsuits against Monsanto, accusing the company of knowing of the dangers of glyphosate for decades," St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. Monsanto said the lawsuits have no merit.
According to Monsanto, including glyphosate on a cancer-causing agent list "has the potential to deny farmers and public agencies the use of this highly effective herbicide. Global regulatory authorities ... agree that glyphosate is not carcinogenic."