Reuters — Monsanto, one of the world’s largest seed and agrichemical companies, said Wednesday that it was slashing 2,600 jobs and restructuring operations to cut costs in a slumping commodity market. The company, which said it expected low prices for agricultural products to squeeze results well into 2016, also reported a much wider quarterly loss […] Read more
Monsanto slashing 2,600 jobs, buying back shares as sales fall
Monsanto no longer pursuing Syngenta
Reuters — U.S. agribusiness leader Monsanto on Wednesday abandoned pursuit of Swiss rival Syngenta, which had rejected a recently sweetened US$47 billion offer. Syngenta shares fell more than 18 per cent on the news, while Monsanto shares jumped more than seven per cent. The Swiss agrichemicals group said its board unanimously rejected the offer, which it […] Read more
Monsanto’s move on Syngenta could mean move away from glyphosate
Reuters — Monsanto, the world’s largest seed company, is also known for the popularity of its Roundup herbicide, beloved by farmers and homeowners alike for its speed and deadly assault on tough weeds. But Monsanto’s ongoing efforts to try to take over Swiss ag chem firm Syngenta, a rival whose product portfolio offers an array […] Read more
U.S. regulators may recommend testing food for glyphosate residues
Reuters — U.S. regulators may start testing food products for residues of the world’s most widely used herbicide, the Environmental Protection Agency told Reuters on Friday, as public concern rises over possible links to disease. Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup herbicide, has come under intense scrutiny since a research unit of the World Health […] Read more
Chinese citizens sue government over transparency on Roundup
Beijing | Reuters –– Three Chinese citizens are taking China’s Ministry of Agriculture to court in a bid to make public a toxicology report supporting the approval of Monsanto’s popular herbicide, Roundup, 27 years ago. The case, a rare example of a lawsuit by private citizens against the Chinese government, comes amid renewed attention on […] Read more
Scientist defends WHO group report linking glyphosate to cancer
Reuters — A World Health Organization group’s controversial finding that the world’s most popular herbicide is “probably carcinogenic to humans” was based on a thorough scientific review and is a key marker in ongoing evaluations of the product, the scientist who led the study said Thursday. “There were several studies. There was sufficient evidence in […] Read more
Monsanto rips cancer agency’s Roundup takedown
The decision by an international group of cancer experts to classify the active ingredient in Roundup herbicide as “probably carcinogenic” has drawn fire from the product’s main maker. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a France-based arm of the World Health Organization, on Friday released its working group’s evaluations on the cancer-causing potential […] Read more