NCGA Condemns Bayer Glyphosate Petition

The Monsanto Company and its subsidiary Ruveon LLC, filed a petition today with the International Trade Commission and the U.S. Department of Commerce calling for anti-dumping and countervailing duties on imports of glyphosate. Bayer is the parent company of Monsanto.

As glyphosate is one of the most used herbicides in corn production annually, this development is highly concerning for America's corn farmers.

"Agricultural companies like to position themselves as a partner to American farmers," said Jed Bower, Ohio farmer and president of the National Corn Growers Association. "This is no act of partnership. They are taking this step purely for benefit of the company and its shareholders, once again at the expense of the American farmer and at a time when the ag economy is facing one of its most difficult periods in decades."

Bayer is the latest input provider to claim financial harm from imported fertilizers and pesticides. In the filed petition, Bayer alleges glyphosate sales of less than fair market value occurred from China into the United States.

The petition comes a day after President Trump signed an executive order suspending countervailing duties on phosphate fertilizer imports. Those duties were implemented at the behest of the Mosaic Company and J.R. Simplot, working against the best interests of their customers. Record high prices of phosphate quickly followed.

Corteva Agriscience, in 2024, similarly petitioned the ITC for countervailing duties on imported supplies of 2,4-D, despite a lack of adequate domestic production capacity to fulfill the needs of American farmers. NCGA readily engaged in the process with the ITC and repeatedly voiced concerns that this action would increase costs for farmers already bearing the burden of record high input costs. The ITC ruled in favor of Corteva, proving that the impact to U.S. consumers is not a relevant factor in their deliberations.
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"What we are seeing is an increasing trend of companies abusing trade remedy laws to box out competition and corner more of the U.S. market, at great expense to their customers - the American farmer," said Bower. "These industries are already highly concentrated, and CVD actions further threaten the availability of inputs and keep prices inflated."

NCGA has a long history of supporting grower access to crop protection tools, including glyphosate. Earlier this year, corn growers joined other ag trade associations to publicly state their concern about glyphosate access in an amicus brief submitted to the Supreme Court in the Monsanto v. Durnell case, which ultimately ended in a favorable outcome for Bayer. Previously, NCGA was a plaintiff in a legal challenge to California's decision to label glyphosate as a known carcinogen under Prop 65. In 2023, a federal court ruling prevented the state from labeling the product as a carcinogen.

"The American corn grower has shown up repeatedly to defend access to important tools in our toolbox," said Bower. "Unfortunately, we are being forced to defend our access to these tools again, but now we're doing so thanks to the actions of companies we've previously partnered with. Disappointment doesn't begin to cover how this news feels to American farmers."

Read the Petition