Glyphosate controversy: inside the pesticide industry’s PR game | Zembla International

Pesticide Lobby 

16-7-2025

Glyphosate controversy: inside the pesticide industry’s PR game | Zembla

Zembla investigates how the pesticide industry influences the approval of glyphosate — the most widely used herbicide in the world. Despite concerns from scientists about cancer and Parkinson’s disease, the EU recently approved its use for another ten years. In this documentary, Zembla explores the role of paid “merchants of doubt” who cast uncertainty over health risks. The investigation leads to the United States, where chemical giant Bayer is being sued by cancer patients who claim their illness was caused by Roundup, Bayer’s glyphosate-based weed killer. The company has paid billions in settlements and has been ordered to pay large sums in damages. Zembla interviews one of the attorneys who fought Bayer and examines internal court documents that reveal how the company influences public opinion to protect its profitable product — an effect visible even in respected media, including in Europe. Zembla traces one key figure: American statistician Kenny Crump. His work appears in the EU’s glyphosate dossier. Crump previously defended diesel exhaust and asbestos for industry clients. Zembla discovers that his links to Bayer are closer than disclosed. He worked for the company from 2021 to 2023, earning “hundreds of thousands of dollars” as an expert witness in an Australian lawsuit. This conflict of interest is not mentioned in the European approval documents. The Dutch pesticide authority Ctgb relied on Crump’s publications to argue that tumors found in lab animals exposed to glyphosate could be due to chance. Another study he co-authored was used to question research linking glyphosate to higher cancer rates in farmers. Both studies involved former Monsanto consultants. Harvard science historian Naomi Oreskes, author of Merchants of Doubt, describes Crump as a classic example of scientists used to delay regulation. “This is someone who defended benzene and asbestos,” she tells Zembla. “These are known carcinogens.” She warns that such tactics erode trust in science and public health protections. Former Ctgb board member Geert de Snoo says studies with potential conflicts of interest do not belong in official safety reviews. “If there’s any doubt about independence, I would steer far away,” he says. Crump has a long history of defending controversial substances. He previously downplayed the risks of diesel exhaust, paid by oil industry groups including the American Petroleum Institute. He also questioned the dangers of asbestos at certain exposure levels — strategies that resurface in his work for Bayer. Zembla reveals how corporate influence shapes science, media, and regulation in the glyphosate debate. Who decides what’s safe? And how independent is the process? Right of reply from the Ctgb: https://fa7t2bwvxb1.b-cdn.net/3yn6yf8... Right of reply from Bayer: https://fa7t2bwvxb1.b-cdn.net/2s7d76w... Directed by: Ton van der Ham Research: Vincent Harmsen Editor-in-chief: Roelof Bosma Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/ZEMBLA_BNNVARA Listen to our research stories in our podcast: Spotify podcast: https://spoti.fi/2UBbCQ6 Apple podcast: https://apple.co/3wVX4ZA Follow us on: Instagram:   / zembla_bnnvara   Facebook:   / zembla.tv   Twitter:   / zembla   Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/zembla-bnnva... LinkedIn:   / zembla-bnnvara   TikTok:   / zembla_bnnvara  

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