Shortly after the Bayer Group offered plaintiffs a settlement worth around seven billion dollars because of the alleged carcinogenic effects of glyphosate, the US government classified the pesticide as defense-relevant. With this move, the German agricultural chemical and pharmaceutical producer is the only large manufacturer of glyphosate in the USA to receive political backing. The reasoning is that the supply of the herbicide is crucial for national security and nutrition since there is no direct chemical alternative. US President Donald Trump describes glyphosate as a “cornerstone of agricultural productivity”.
