Statewide Iowa (RI) – A key member of the Iowa House backs a bill to prohibit lawsuits accusing pesticide companies of failing to warn that the product could cause cancer, as long as the product’s label meets federal guidelines.
The bill does not name glyphosate, the main ingredient in Roundup, but House Majority Leader Bobby Kaufmann, a Republican who farms near Wilton, suggests Bayer’s factory in Muscatine that makes Roundup could close if Iowa lawmakers don’t take action.
About 70% of the glyphosate sold in North America is made at the Bayer plant in Muscatine.
Kaufmann says while Bayer’s Muscatine plant is just outside of his House district, he represents many of the 400 people who work there.
The Iowa Senate narrowly approved this bill this past May, but it did not come up for a vote in the House. Kaufmann isn’t guaranteeing a vote in the House next year.
He says he’ll talk with House Republicans to see if there are the 51 votes necessary to pass the bill in 2026, and he knows there are some House Republicans who are strongly against it.
Opponents of the bill say it prioritizes profits over the health and lives of Iowans who’ve been affected by RoundUp, and some accuse the company of covering up information about the product’s harmful effects.
Tens of thousands of lawsuits have been filed in the U.S. with claims that the weedkiller causes cancer. Bayer has spent over $10 billion on litigation and jury awards to plaintiffs.
New laws in North Dakota and Georgia give Bayer new liability protection from lawsuits over product labeling, and Iowa’s governor has signaled she would support a similar law here.
KIWA Staff Photo
