Top US regulators met with Bill Anderson, Bayer’s CEO, last June to discuss litigation issues including Supreme Court action over glyphosate weed killer, internal government records reveal. The meeting took place at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on 17 June, just months before the Trump administration took steps to bolster Bayer’s case at the high court.
The Germany-based company is facing tens of thousands of lawsuits from people who allege they developed cancer from using glyphosate-based herbicides such as Roundup. Bayer has argued that if the EPA does not require a cancer warning on its products, it cannot be held liable for failing to warn of cancer risk. While one appellate court has backed Bayer, other courts have rejected this preemption argument.
An internal EPA email planning the meeting stated that Bayer’s team would “bring up some legal/judicial issues”, including “supreme court action”. The company would provide an “update to the administrator on where they stand in litigation and labeling options”. The meeting occurred less than two weeks before the Supreme Court asked the Trump administration’s Justice Department to weigh in on whether to hear Bayer’s case.
Attendees included EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, senior official Nancy Beck, general counsel Sean Donahue, and senior adviser Turner Bridgforth. Critics say the meeting highlights undue corporate influence. Nathan Donley of the Center for Biological Diversity said: “When the CEO of one of the largest companies in the world is meeting with political appointees in a US regulatory office, it shows just how much power and influence these corporations have.”
