Bayer might face another challenge from the migrant farmworkers in Vermont as experts state that the workers are excluded from the $2 billion settlement deal that was announced last month by the company to resolve future legal claims over the widely used weedkiller Roundup.
Many migrant workers work in the dairy industry in Vermont and Roundup is commonly used in those areas where the workers live and work.
The proposed plan was mentioned in the company's press release, which was issued on February 3. The deal stated that Monsanto’s parent company will be paying $2 billion over a period of four-years to cover outreach and diagnostic assistance of individuals who have been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and were exposed to Roundup prior to their diagnosis.
The deal establishes a fund that would pay future claimers between $5,000 and $200,000 per plaintiff. It also includes benefits for people who were exposed to Roundup and might develop cancer in the future.
However, an organizer for the activist group Migrant Justice stated that there is a major exclusionary factor that makes it difficult for migrant farmworkers to receive compensation.
The organizer further noted that although the settlement is global, several migrant farmworkers come from rural areas in southern Mexico, where there is less possibility of information reaching them.
Glyphosate use in Vermont could be affecting underground water supplies, another source of exposure for farmworkers.
In Vermont, many migrant workers work in the dairy industry, where Roundup is commonly applied to corn. Farmworkers live and work close to the weedkiller applications.
Roundup herbicide was once considered the best gift for agricultural fields. It ruled the market right from the mid-70s until 2013 when some shocking hidden facts were unveiled about this product.
In March 2013 an email sent by a senior toxicologist from Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to her colleague mentioned the carcinogenic attributes of Roundup herbicide, which were not disclosed to the public due to Monsanto’s strong control over EPA.
Finally, in the year 2015, World Health Organization (WHO) declared that there was a linkage between glyphosate and Non-Hodgkin lymphoma and other types of cancer. Roundup herbicide was labeled as a category 2A- product by the IARC, which means it is probably carcinogenic.
Currently, Bayer is facing more than 125,000 Roundup lawsuits, and the company has acknowledged the filing of 52,500 lawsuits. The lawsuits are consolidated under MDL No. 2741 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
