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German chemical firms to appeal against $265mn fine imposed by US court

German chemical firms to appeal against $265mn fine imposed by US court

Bayer and BASF

German chemical giants Bayer and BASF will appeal against the fine of $265 million imposed upon them by a UScourt over a weedkiller produced by them.

A US jury hadawarded $265 million to a Missouri farmer who blamed dicambaherbicide from chemical giantsfor destroying his peach orchards.

It wasthe first ruling in some 140 US cases against dicamba, a herbicide blamed for extensive crop damage.

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Bayer says its herbicides pose no unreasonable risk if used correctly.

BASF said it would "use all available legal resources" to fight Saturday's ruling by a federal district court in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

Bayer insists that Monsanto herbicides are safe and "valuable tools for growers". The herbicides "do not pose any unreasonable risk of off-target movement when used according to label directions", the firm says.

The companyhad taken over the US agrochemical giant Monsanto for $63bn in 2018.

After this takeover, it introduced seeds that can resist the weed-killer due to which use of the chemicals increased.

But the product has been blamed for polluting around four percent of US soybean fields in 2017.

A common complaint is that the herbicide spreads to nearby areas.

The company sells dicamba-based herbicide and a similar, much-criticised product, Roundup.

US lawsuits against Monsanto's weed killers may cost Bayer billions of dollars in damages.

The fight over dicamba comes in the wake of a case in whichBayerwas ordered by a California jury to pay $290 million for failing to warn a dying groundskeeper that Roundup might cause cancer.

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