California regulators violated the Constitution by requiring warning labels on glyphosate containers saying the herbicide is a carcinogen, says a federal lawsuit filed by Monsanto and a dozen farm and agribusiness groups. Monsanto, which uses glyphosate as the main ingredient in its Roundup weedkiller, says the chemical is safe, so the warning labels are “unjustified false speech.”
In July, glyphosate was added to a list of substances “known to the state of California to cause cancer.” In a press release, Monsanto says the “unjustified listing was based solely on a highly controversial and deeply flawed 2015 opinion by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.” Monsanto has defended the safety record of glyphosate tenaciously and says other scientific reviews agree the herbicide is safe.
“The consequences of this labeling requirement could be significant, including higher production and compliance costs that translate into higher prices for consumers at the grocery store,” says Monsanto.
The lawsuit was filed in U.S. district court in the agricultural Central Valley of California. Joining Monsanto in the lawsuit were National Association of Wheat Growers, the National Corn Growers Association, Associated Industries of Missouri, Iowa Soybean Association, Agribusiness Association of Iowa, Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Missouri Farm Bureau, North Dakota Grain Growers Association, South Dakota Agri-Business Association, the U.S. Durum Growers Association and Western Plant Health Association.