Germany to ban glyphosate

The German government plans to phase out the use of the weed killer glyphosate by the end of 2023. The decision was based on concerns that glyphosate harms insects and species diversity. Glyphosate is also suspected of causing cancer. Germany-based Bayer, which bought glyphosate developer Monsanto in a $63 billion deal last year, opposes the government ban. “The ruling ignores decades of scientific judgment from independent regulatory agencies around the world that glyphosate is safe when used properly,” Liam Condon, head of Bayer’s crop science division, said in a statement. The company faces lawsuits from more than 18,400 plaintiffs in the US who claim that Monsanto’s Roundup made them ill.