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German Bayer, who bought the US agrochemical company Monsanto, apologized on Sunday after its US subsidiary drew up a list of critics of the company's practices.
"After an initial analysis, we understand that such a project has caused concern and criticism," Bayer said in a statement. "This is not how Bayer would seek to engage with different stakeholders and society, so we apologize for that."
The firm, based in Leverkusen, announced that it would call on a law firm to conduct an external investigation into the case.
The French prosecutor announced Friday to have opened an investigation after a newspaper The world filed a complaint.
The French daily claims that Monsanto has made a file of about 200 names including reporters and legislators skeptical about the company and its products in the hope of influencing their position regarding pesticides.
The accusation is that the information was collected illegally.
The Paris police investigate a possible "collection of personal information by fraudulent, unjust or unlawful means".
Name names
The world and one of his reporters complained of being on the list established since 2016 and reportedly leaked by US public relations firm FleishmanHillard.
The name of the former French Minister of the Environment, Ségolène Royal, would also appear on the list. She told AFP that she "says a lot about the methods of lobbyists … they practice espionage, infiltration, seek to influence, sometimes financially". conceived".
The public relations firm FleishmanHillard announced Friday that it would investigate these charges.
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Roundup of Monsanto
The French public channel France Télévisions announced Sunday that it would also lay charges.
Monsanto's lawsuit pending
Monsanto manufactures Roundup Glyphosate Herbicide with a broad spectrum. The company and the new owner Bayer deny that Roundup causes cancer.
However, last August, a US jury found Bayer responsible for Monsanto's failure to warn users of Roundup's suspected cancer risks.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a new ruling in April that glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, manufactured by Monsanto, does not cause cancer or other health problems if it is used according to the instructions of that manufacturer.
Bayer's managing director, Werner Baumann, is facing growing pressure from shareholders over the Monsanto legacy litigation. He is the designated defendant in the US roundup lawsuits filed by 13,400 people.
Bayer shares have fallen by around 40% since Monsanto's $ 63 billion (€ 56 billion) purchase was finalized last June.
mm, jm / ng (Reuters, AFP)
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