200,000 Demand Bayer Stop Producing Toxic Pesticides 

Friends of the Earth delivers petition to Bayer’s headquarters while Supreme Court justices weigh liability shield for pesticide makers 

WASHINGTON — More than 200,000 people are calling on chemical giant Bayer to phase out the production of toxic pesticides, including glyphosate and neonicotinoids, that harm human health and pollinators. Led by Friends of the Earth U.S., protesters gathered outside Bayer’s headquarters in downtown Washington D.C. Monday afternoon to speak out against the company and deliver the petition signatures and comments in person.  

The petition delivery came on the heels of a larger rally earlier in the day, as the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case involving Bayer’s Roundup weedkiller. A Supreme Court decision in favor of Bayer could effectively curtail people’s ability to sue pesticide corporations for cancer and other health harms linked to their products, even when those products lack a warning label. Hundreds gathered outside the Court to protest Bayer and the Trump administration’s support for the company’s bid to secure legal immunity.  

Friends of the Earth — which has worked for decades to protect farmworkers, rural communities, children, and the environment from toxic pesticides — joined a cross-partisan coalition of organizations, activists, scientists, farmers, and members of Congress at the rally. 

“People are sick and tired of being exposed to toxic pesticides while pesticide corporations shirk responsibility,” said Sarah Starman, senior campaigner at Friends of the Earth, who spoke at the rally. “Bayer and other pesticide companies should not be allowed to profit from chemicals that threaten our health, harm our environment, and undermine the future of our food system. The hundreds of people who rallied outside the Supreme Court and the 200,000 people who signed comments to Bayer are demanding change.” 

Over 150,000 people have sued Bayer alleging that repeated exposure to the company’s glyphosate-based Roundup products caused serious health harms, including cancer. Glyphosate, the most widely used pesticide in the U.S., has been found in the bodies of 80% of adults and 87% of children in the U.S. — an alarming figure for a chemical linked to cancer, endocrine disruption, impacts to the gut microbiome, and other serious health issues. Glyphosate also harms pollinators, particularly monarch butterflies.  

In recent years, Bayer reformulated many of its home and garden Roundup products — not by replacing glyphosate with demonstrably safer alternatives, but by substituting other active ingredients that EPA data suggests may pose equal or greater acute and chronic toxicity risks to humans. At the same time, Bayer has poured substantial resources into legal strategies aimed at limiting liability. Together, these actions point to a troubling priority: shielding the company from accountability rather than driving innovation toward safer, health-protective products.  

“No corporation should be above the law — especially those that make billions selling toxic products,” said Jason Davidson, senior campaigner with Friends of the Earth. 

Neonicotinoid pesticides, which Bayer also manufactures and sells, have been linked to birth defects of the heart and brain, damage to the nervous system, and hormone disruption. They are also among the most ecologically disastrous pesticides since DDT. U.S. agriculture has become nearly 48 times more toxic to insects, including essential pollinators like bees, since the introduction of neonicotinoids. 

Advocates at the rallies called on Members of Congress to oppose the current House Farm Bill, which is stuffed with giveaways to chemical companies and Big Ag, including pesticide liability shields. Instead, they urged Congress to pass a Farm Bill that invests in supporting farmers to phase out pesticide use and transition to organic practices. The House of Representatives will likely hold a vote on the Farm Bill later this year. 

Organic is a voluntary certification, backed by a rigorous legal standard, that prohibits more than 900 synthetic pesticides commonly used in conventional farming, bans all synthetic fertilizers, and restricts hundreds of artificial food additives. In livestock production, organic standards require organic feed and prohibit more than 450 drugs otherwise permitted, including growth hormones and the routine use of antibiotics. Decades of research show that organic farming delivers wide-ranging benefits, supporting healthier soils, improving farmers’ resilience, and protecting pollinators and biodiversity.  

Advocates emphasized that access to clean, organic food is a fundamental human right. They underscored that transitioning from a chemical-intensive, industrial food system to one rooted in organic practices is not only possible, but essential — representing one of the most urgent and transformative opportunities for improving public health, environmental resilience, and the future of food. 

Contact: Sarah Starman, [email protected], (734) 657-5251