Key facts
- Bayer petitioned the U.S. Commerce Department and International Trade Commission for duties on Chinese glyphosate imports.
- The company cited predatory trade practices and subsidies for low Chinese glyphosate prices, deeming domestic business unsustainable.
- U.S. farmers and agricultural groups oppose the duties, warning of increased costs and reduced market competition.
- Bayer is consolidating its U.S. glyphosate business into a new unit called Ruveon.
- The U.S. Supreme Court recently blocked thousands of lawsuits alleging glyphosate causes cancer.
Bayer, through its subsidiary Monsanto, has petitioned the U.S. Commerce Department and International Trade Commission to impose duties on glyphosate imported from China. The company argues that Chinese glyphosate is being sold at artificially low prices due to predatory trade practices and subsidies, making the domestic glyphosate business unsustainable. This move has faced strong opposition from U.S. farmers and agricultural groups, including the National Corn Growers Association and the American Soybean Association, who fear that import duties will increase herbicide costs and limit market competition. The petition follows a U.S. Supreme Court decision that blocked thousands of lawsuits accusing Bayer's Roundup, which contains glyphosate, of causing cancer. Bayer has previously stated that the domestic glyphosate business is not sustainable in its current form. The company is consolidating its U.S. glyphosate business into a new unit called Ruveon, led by veteran Alfonso Alba Ordonez, as part of a five-year restructuring plan.