Monsanto ruling a ‘substantial warning’ to agrochemical giants: UN expert
Introduction:
A California court’s decision to award $289 million to a dying man after finding that agrochemical giant Monsanto did not warn people that its products can cause cancer, is a “substantial warning” to industry, a UN rights expert said on Wednesday.
Hilal Elver, who is UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food, noted in a statement that although the company plans to appeal, the ruling would encourage firms to “put human health before profit”.
In an interview with UN News, she highlighted the particular dangers pesticides pose to child workers and called for greater international focus on the problem, given the lack of existing international agreements that regulate their use.
A California court’s decision to award $289 million to a dying man after finding that agrochemical giant Monsanto did not warn people that its products can cause cancer, is a “substantial warning” to industry, a UN rights expert said on Wednesday.
Hilal Elver, who is UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food, noted in a statement that although the company plans to appeal, the ruling would encourage firms to “put human health before profit”.
In an interview with UN News, she highlighted the particular dangers pesticides pose to child workers and called for greater international focus on the problem, given the lack of existing international agreements that regulate their use.