Wisconsin Farmer Calls Weedkiller Product Protection ‘Total BS’

A Wisconsin farmer is weighing in on corporate influence over agriculture policy and calls it “total BS.”

Hans Breitenmoser is a longtime Lincoln County farmer and county board member. He’s slamming Bayer’s ongoing efforts to seek legal protection — even as thousands of lawsuits linking the weedkiller product Roundup to cancer — continue being filed. Breitenmoser joined Pat Kreitlow, host of Mornings with Pat Kreitlow, to discuss Bayer’s lobbying efforts.

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Listen to the complete discussion here:

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“If you’re producing a product and there are hazards with it, you should be responsible for it,” Breitenmoser explains. “Trying to rewrite the rules to protect yourself from lawsuits? That’s just wrong.”

There are more than 170,000 lawsuits alleging glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, caused non-Hodgkin lymphoma and other health issues. Bayer contends the product is safe because it’s approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The company also argues the ongoing litigation could limit access to key weed management tools. But Breitenmoser disagrees.

“Why not just label it properly? That’s the bare minimum,” he says. “If Bayer stops making it, someone else will. We’re not solving anything unless we’re honest about the risks.”

Earlier this month, Georgia became the second state after North Dakota officials signed a law that could shield Bayer from the claims in most Roundup lawsuits. Similar bills have cleared initial committees in Iowa, Mississippi and Missouri and are pending in Florida, Oklahoma and Tennessee. One failed to get out of a Wyoming committee by a deadline. And in Wisconsin, there isn’t a law currently shielding Bayer in the way other states are considering or have already passed.  

Critics argue the legislation sets a bad precedent, as it could deny consumers the right to hold companies accountable if products cause harm.

Breitenmoser also warns – Bayer’s lobbying isn’t just about Roundup. It’s part of a broader problem with corporate money shaping state and national ag policy. 

“Serve the people, not the donors,” he says of our lawmakers.

Budget Wins with a Missed Opportunity

Meantime, Breitenmoser did praise parts of the new Wisconsin state budget, including $30 million for county conservation staff and new positions at the Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection (DATCP). 

“That funding matters,” he says. “It helps protect our land and water.”

But he’s criticizing the state’s failure to continue funding for the Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) program. It connects small and mid-sized farmers with communities in need. 

“LFPA made sense economically and ethically,” he explains. “It helped people and supported local growers.”

A new $10 million food security grant program will replace LFPA. But Breitenmoser worries it may shift money to middlemen instead of directly to farmers.

On the Ground and in the Fields

Back on the farm, Breitenmoser is mid-harvest and feeding his herd a fresh-cut mix of oats, clover, and alfalfa. He describes it as the ultimate trail mix for cows. And while pursuing work in the present, his attention is also fixed on the future of farming in Wisconsin.

“Farmers want to do the right thing. But we need policies and products we can trust,” he says.