What’s Bayer’s Roundup and Why Is It Controversial?: QuickTake

Few chemicals have caused as much controversy as Bayer AG’s popular Roundup weedkiller. Defenders say it’s helped to feed the world by transforming farm yields. Opponents contend that the product’s key ingredient glyphosate poses unacceptable environmental and health risks. When the European Union decided to renew its approval for glyphosate for another 10 years in November, member states were divided on the issue and new conditions were imposed on its use. Meanwhile, Bayer continues to fight court cases against former Roundup users who say it caused their cancer.

1. What is glyphosate?

In use for almost five decades, glyphosate ...