"Bayer's Toxic Trails", 23 September 2024

Corporate Europe Observatory takes a deep dive into the present – and... past – of the German agrochemical giant Bayer. Whether it’s over glyphosate, GMOs, or global warming, we follow the company’s trail of lobbying to reveal how it attempts to capture public policy to pursue its private interests. [The report's authors accuse Bayer of] maintaining monopolistic control of the seed and pesticide markets, fighting off regulatory challenges to its toxic products, allegedly trying to limit legal liability... Bayer's current top lobbying priorities for the European institutions [were allegedly] to derail the original ambitions of the European Green Deal...

Concerning new GMOs, in 2021 Bayer proposed “a new regulation (separate from GMOs) assessing whether the changes in the DNA of the new plant are similar to the ones that could have been obtained through conventional breeding methods or spontaneous mutation.” This would [allegedly] class new GMOs as... the same as non-GM products. In the same year Bayer [allegedly] clarified its opposition to an export ban on toxic chemicals and pesticides already banned in the EU, claiming that “an exclusive ban in the EU would only result in production being shifted to other regions." 

...Bayer has [allegedly] been lobbying lawmakers in three US states to pass legislation which would provide legal protection for the company from future lawsuits...