Bayer gladly seizes the opportunity of the Business Human Rights & Resource Center to respond to the article “Bayer’s Toxic Trails”...

[O]ur Code of Conduct for Responsible Lobbying sets out binding rules for our involvement in political matters, covers compliance-relevant risks and creates transparency in our interactions with representatives of political institutions. As set out in our Code of Conduct for Responsible Lobbying, Bayer as a company does not make any donations to political parties, politicians or candidates for political office. It is important to us to emphasize that Bayer stands for open dialogue, respect for privacy, and transparency as described in our Code of Conduct and BASE principles. In the face of the growing challenges that agriculture is confronted with today, farmers need sustainable solutions to fulfil demand, and crop protection products are an integral part of the farmer’s toolbox. The mere fact that a plant protection product is not authorized in the EU says nothing about its safety...

With regard to glyphosate, please note that, in late 2023, the EU in fact renewed the approval of glyphosate for 10 years. Glyphosate-based products have been used safely and successfully around the world for nearly 50 years. Leading health regulators around the world have repeatedly concluded that our glyphosate-based products can be used safely as directed and that glyphosate is not carcinogenic...

The safety of our products is always our first priority. We have raised the bar by applying globally consistent safety standards, even when it means exceeding local regulations in some countries, and by constantly adjusting our portfolio accordingly. Bayer has not sold any crop protection products 4 that the WHO classified as acutely toxic (classification 1a or 1b) since 2012. Since 2016 Bayer has committed itself to only selling crop protection products whose active ingredients are registered in at least one OECD country, or, in the case of new active ingredients, for which an OECD equivalent data package has been compiled. All our products are safe for humans and the environment when used according to label instructions. If we receive information that indicates improper use, we consistently follow up on these reports. Our internal safety criteria are often even stricter than legal requirements...

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