A former manager in the Environmental Protection Agency’s pesticide division may have to testify in court about an alleged role in helping Monsanto suppress inquiries about whether or not Roundup weed killer can potentially cause cancer.
Jess Rowland is the official who’s become an important figure in over 20 lawsuits in the U.S. Monsanto is accused of not warning consumers and regulators that its glyphosate-based weed killer can potentially cause non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. A federal judge said Monday that he’s leaning toward making Rowland submit to questioning from the plaintiff’s lawyers, who contend he had a “highly suspicious relationship with Monsanto.” Rowland chaired a committee that found insufficient evidence that glyphosate is carcinogenic. Rowland left his job just after the report was leaked to the media in May. The turn in the case comes less than a week after Bayer AG said it may face delays in its attempt to acquire Monsanto. Some investors say regulatory concerns may keep the deal from taking place. Monsanto said in a statement that regulators around the world have determined that glyphosate isn’t carcinogenic.
From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting news service.