Reuters — Tyson Foods said Wednesday it had fired seven managers at an Iowa pork plant after investigating allegations that they took bets on how many employees would catch COVID-19. The independent investigation, led by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, came in response to a lawsuit filed by the son of a worker at […] Read more

Tyson fires seven managers after probe into COVID-19 wagering
Employees had been suspended following lawsuit

CWB class-action suit a step closer to litigation
Manitoba Court of Appeal overrules lower court, allows case to seek certification
A proposed class-action lawsuit against the federal government and G3, alleging millions of dollars of farmers’ money was improperly used to privatize the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) in 2012, is a step closer to certification and litigation, says Stewart Wells, chair of the Friends of the Canadian Wheat Board, which is backing the suit. The […] Read more

JBS to seek damages from founders
Brazil shareholder vote a win for Brazil's BNDES
Sao Paulo | Reuters — Shareholders in JBS SA on Friday cleared the way for the Brazilian food processor to sue its own controlling stakeholders and certain former managers, a rare victory for shareholder activism in Latin America’s largest economy. The vote was a win for JBS’s top minority shareholder, national development bank BNDES, which […] Read more

Farmer and activist Percy Schmeiser, 89
Thorn in Monsanto's side also the subject of a new major film
Funeral services are to be held and livestreamed Saturday for Prairie farmer, businessman and activist Percy Schmeiser, best known for his ultimately unsuccessful court battles with the company behind Roundup Ready canola. Schmeiser, who farmed at Bruno, Sask., about 90 km east of Saskatoon, died Tuesday at age 89. According to Saskatchewan media, he had […] Read more

Bayer resolves more U.S. Roundup cases
Judge keeps pause on litigation
Reuters — Attorneys for Bayer and U.S. consumers suing the company over allegations its Roundup herbicide caused cancer told a judge on Thursday they are continuing to resolve thousands more U.S. cases, improving prospects for its US$11 billion deal to end the litigation. The hearing was a contrast to the contentious tone among the parties […] Read more

Bayer books second-quarter loss after settlement
Frankfurt | Reuters — German drugs and pesticides group Bayer reported a 9.5 billion-euro (C$14.86 billion) net loss for its second quarter, following a US$10.9 billion settlement of U.S. lawsuits claiming that its Roundup herbicide caused cancer. The charges stemmed mainly from agreements which attempted to wrap up legal disputes inherited with its US$63 billion […] Read more

Bayer loses California appeal of Roundup verdict
Damages payable to plaintiff are further reduced
Reuters — Bayer AG failed to persuade a California appeals court to overturn a verdict favouring a school groundskeeper who claimed its Roundup weed killer caused his cancer but reduced the amount of damages by 74 per cent, to US$20.5 million. The decision by the California Court of Appeal came after a San Francisco jury […] Read more

Green Plains sues ADM, alleging ethanol market manipulation
Chicago | Reuters — Green Plains Inc., one of the biggest U.S. ethanol producers, sued Archer Daniels Midland on Tuesday, accusing the global grain trader of manipulating the price of the biofuel to profit from its positions in the derivatives market. Green Plains filed the proposed class action with the U.S. District Court of Nebraska, […] Read more

Bayer puts Roundup future claims settlement on hold
Judge questions proposal for third-party scientists to rule on chemical's carcinogenicity
Frankfurt | Reuters — Bayer was forced on Wednesday to delay part of a proposed settlement of allegations that its widely used herbicide Roundup caused cancer after a U.S. judge questioned its plan to deal with future claims. The German company said that lawyers representing those preparing a class action had withdrawn a request for […] Read more

Investors pile into Bayer bond to pay settlement charges
Amsterdam | Reuters — Investors piled into a Bayer bond on Wednesday that will help pay for a long-negotiated settlement of U.S. lawsuits claiming its widely-used herbicide Roundup caused cancer. Demand for the four-tranche bond sale, whose proceeds will include the litigation payments, exceeded 17.5 billion euros, nearly three times the six billion euros (C$9.15 […] Read more