The US government is supporting Bayer in the dispute over the weedkiller glyphosate. This is also due to a little-known mine: Bayer is mining an economically and militarily important mineral.....
I have just read an article in the Handelsblatt about $BAYN (-0,27 %) that should make you think. Anyone who is critical of glyphosate, who "demonizes" the USA for its hegemonic behaviour, who has smiled at Bayer's shareholders in recent years... an interesting view of the "big picture" .....
Source: Handelsblatt from 12/14/2025
A few days ago, the US government took a surprisingly clear stand on the side of the Bayer AG a few days ago. Das Weiße Haus unterstützt vollumfänglich eine Klage der Leverkusener vor dem obersten US-Gericht.
Bayer It wants to obtain a landmark ruling from the Supreme Court to get rid of the billion-dollar burden of lawsuits over the weedkiller glyphosate.
After the positive vote by the US government, the signs are not bad. The President's government cites legal reasons for the unexpectedly clear backing. Donald Trump mainly cites legal reasons. But in the background, there are tangible political and economic goals at stake.
Bayer is threatening to stop glyphosate production in the USA if the lawsuits and complaints do not end. This could jeopardize the supply of American Landwirtschaft jeopardize the supply. However, research by Handelsblatt shows that far more than the food supply is at stake for the USA.
What is hardly known to the public is that Bayer is one of the largest mine operators in the USA for the extraction of phosphate. The pesticide glyphosate is extracted from this mineral. In mid-October, the company received permission for a new mine in the US state of Idaho, for which Bayer will develop a huge mining area.
A few weeks later, the US government declared phosphate to be a mineral that is "essential to the US economy and national security". Das zuständige US-Innenministerium hat am 6. November eine Liste von 60 solcher strategisch wichtiger Stoffe veröffentlicht.
It will ensure that these minerals are sufficiently mined and processed in the USA and that the country once again becomes a "mineral superpower", said US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. According to American industry circles: "The Bayer mine is seen in the USA as critical to the plan to remain independent in the supply of raw materials - especially with regard to China."
Phosphate is important as a fertilizer. But in Bayer's case, it is primarily the white phosphorus produced from it that is at issue. This substance is used in the production of medicines, chemicals, flame retardants and battery materials and is sometimes irreplaceable. The substance is also used for armaments such as stun or smoke grenades and bombs.
Bayer is one of the most important producers in the USA. In a mine in Soda Springs, Idaho, the company extracts phosphate from the earth's crust and uses it to produce white phosphorus in a nearby plant. The plant has been in operation for 65 years and came into the Bayer Group through the purchase of Monsanto in 2018.
Bayer uses white phosphorus for its own glyphosate production, but also supplies other industrial companies with the substance, according to its own information. The company also emphasizes that it is not currently supplying the US military.
Bayer campaigns for legislative changes in the USA
Bayer would not comment on the motives for Trump's backing. Only this much: "We welcome the fact that the US government recognizes the great importance of phosphate for the American economy by including it on the list of critical minerals," the company said when asked.
This should undoubtedly be useful for Bayer's political lobbying efforts in the USA. Going to the US Supreme Court is just one way for the Leverkusen-based company to stop the wave of plaintiffs who blame the use of glyphosate for their cancer. Bayer rejects this and relies on regulatory authorities such as the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which classify glyphosate as safe.
Bayer uses white phosphorus for its own glyphosate production, but says it also supplies the substance to other industrial companies. At the same time, the company emphasizes that it does not currently supply the US military.
Bayer campaigns for legislative changes in the USA
Bayer would not comment on the motives for Trump's backing. Only this much: "We welcome the fact that the US government recognizes the great importance of phosphate for the American economy by including it on the list of critical minerals," the company said when asked.
This should undoubtedly be useful for Bayer's political lobbying efforts in the USA. Going to the US Supreme Court is just one way for the Leverkusen-based company to stop the wave of plaintiffs who blame the use of glyphosate for their cancer. Bayer rejects this and relies on regulatory authorities such as the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which classify glyphosate as safe.
However, 65,000 lawsuits are still pending. Since last year, Bayer has been lobbying US politicians for changes to the law that would make lawsuits less likely to succeed and thus stop the wave. The Leverkusen-based company has been successful in individual US states. At national level, decisions are still pending in Washington.
Bayer could use support at the highest level there. In recent months, it has become clear that the White House wants to keep glyphosate production in the country, if only because otherwise there is a risk of dependence on China in agriculture.
Bayer is the only major producer of the herbicide in the USA. Agriculture there is dependent on the use of the product to ensure high harvests. Otherwise, there is a threat of significantly higher food prices in the USA.
If Bayer were to stop marketing the herbicide, farmers would have to buy it from China. US farmers have been warning of the consequences for months in large-scale campaigns and are calling for glyphosate to be banned in the USA. Bayer is helping to initiate these protests.
Bayer's large phosphate deposit in Idaho
Things are less noisy when it comes to phosphate and white phosphorus. Bayer's name does not appear here directly: P4 Production LLC is the name of the Leverkusen-based subsidiary that operates the open-cast mine in Idaho.
In mid-October, there was cause for celebration for the Leverkusen-based company's mining management: the US Department of the Interior granted P4 final approval for a new open-cast mining area in the region.
This was important for Bayer because the phosphate deposits in the existing mine are coming to an end. The company is now allowed to extract the mineral from a further eight square kilometers of land in Caldwell Canyon. Work on this will start next year.
Bayer had to wait several years for approval. Environmentalists had successfully filed a lawsuit against the project in 2023 - they saw the habitat of the Sage Grouse living in the region at risk. Bayer reached an agreement with them and pledged to provide around five million dollars for a trust fund to restore or preserve the habitat.
US politicians applauded the agreement. Overall, phosphate mining in Idaho is of great strategic importance to the country. According to the US Department of the Interior, up to 30 percent of the phosphate produced in the country already comes from the region.
The deposit now being developed by Bayer is considered one of the largest in the USA. There are other large extraction areas in Florida, but only five companies mine the mineral in the state. According to the US Geological Survey, the world's largest phosphate deposits are in Morocco, China and Russia - none of which are countries that America wants to rely on.
Preferred status in the approval process
US President Trump has therefore issued Executive Order 14241 to establish the country's independence in rare earths and important minerals. "The approval of the Bayer project supports this executive order and creates a stable source of phosphate," said Robert Taylor, who represents a state agency in Idaho that is part of the Department of the Interior.
The mine was even given preferential status in the authorities' approval process. According to industry circles involved: "The commitment to glyphosate and its value chain is strong in the USA." ...........
