Breaking: Monsanto Found Guilty of Chemical Poisoning in France
In 2012, a court in southeast France found Monsanto guilty of chemically-poisoning farmers. The court declared that Monsanto’s Lasso weed killer was responsible for devastating neurological problems, including memory loss.
The grain grower, Paul Francois, said he developed neurological problems such as memory loss and headaches after being exposed to Monsanto’s Lasso weed killer (containing an ingredient called alachlor) back in 2004.
In the ruling given by a court in Lyon (southeast France), Francois said that Monsanto failed to provide proper warnings on the product label. The court ordered an expert opinion to determine the sum of the damages, and to verify the link between Lasso and the reported illnesses.
The case is extremely important, as previous legal action taken against Monsanto by farmers has failed due to the challenge of properly linking pesticide exposure with the experienced side effects.
Francois, whose life was damaged by Monsanto’s products, has now set the powerful precedent in the defense of farmers.
“I am alive today, but part of the farming population is going to be sacrificed and is going to die because of this,” Francois, 47, told Reuters.
It is also important to note that Monsanto’s Lasso pesticide was actually banned in France back in 2007 following a European Union directive that came after the ban of the pro
September, 2015 – The Court Rules Monsanto Guilty of Chemical Poisoning
After an appeal process by Monsanto that lasted years, a French appeal court upheld the ruling in full.
The court ordered an expert opinion to determine the sum of the damages, and to verify the link between Lasso and the reported illnesses. The case was extremely important, as previous legal action taken against Monsanto by farmers has failed due to the challenge of properly linking pesticide exposure with the experienced side effects.
As IB Times reports:
“Monsanto, the world’s largest seed company, was found guilty of chemical poisoning of a French farmer by a French court this week. The decision Thursday by an appeal court in Lyon in southeast France upheld a 2012 ruling in which the farmer claimed he suffered neurological problems after working with the U.S. company’s Lasso weedkiller, Reuters reported.”
