German agrochemicals giant Bayer has issued a stark warning to farmers about the future of glyphosate, its widely used herbicide.

The company said ongoing legal battles in the US were threatening the availability of the product, which it called “a cornerstone of American agriculture for over 50 years”.

Glyphosate is also the most widely used herbicide on UK farms and plays a crucial role in modern agricultural practices including conservation and regenerative agriculture.

See also: First case of glyphosate resistance confirmed on UK farm

Despite glyphosate’s proven effectiveness, it has been the subject of numerous lawsuits, primarily due to claims linking it to cancer, specifically non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Bayer, along with chemicals regulators worldwide, continues to maintain that glyphosate is not carcinogenic when used as directed.

However, the litigation surrounding the product has cost Bayer more than $10bn (£7.7bn) to date, with no resolution in sight.

The company is actively engaging in efforts to uphold the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) approval of glyphosate as safe.

Bayer has urged US farmers to take action, encouraging them to contact their state and federal legislators and explain how the potential loss of glyphosate would affect their operations.

“The time is now, and this is urgent,” Bayer stated in an open letter to farmers, warning that legislative decisions could directly affect glyphosate’s availability.

Farmer support critical

With thousands of cases pending, Bayer is bracing for further legal battles, while stressing the critical role of farmer support in protecting access to glyphosate. The company has set aside about $5.9bn (£4.6bn) for legal expenses.

Bayer warns that the litigation industry’s efforts could extend beyond glyphosate, potentially threatening the broader crop protection product industry.

UK farmers have expressed alarm at the prospect of losing glyphosate. Writing on X, Simon Cowell, the 2018 Soil Farmer of the Year, said he would “pack in” farming without access to the chemical.

“Even a plough-based annual cropping system is not possible without it. [I] could put it all down to grass, but that’s only viable with SFI [the Sustainable Farming Incentive].”

View from the NFU

NFU deputy president David Exwood said: “Glyphosate has long been one of those essential products to control weeds before planting and is vital due to the popularity of a regenerative, no-till or minimum till approach.

“Of course UK farmers would be concerned if we lost access to glyphosate, especially as an EU independent expert review of the evidence – covering more than 11,000 pages – concluded glyphosate’s safety.

“But there is still a lot to play out in the US case. We’ll be monitoring the situation closely and I’d encourage farmers to hang tight until concrete decisions are made.”