Ag-chem giant Monsanto has intimated that it plans to appeal against a ruling made this week by a French court, which found the company guilty of the chemical poisoning of a French farmer.

The case of arable farmer Paul François, which has been described as a landmark for farmers suffering the effects of handling harmful chemicals, was heard on Monday in Lyon. The court ruled that Monsanto was responsible for neurological damage sustained by M François after he inhaled the company’s Lasso weedkiller whilst cleaning out a crop sprayer in 2004. It found the company had not provided adequate safety warnings about the presence of chlorobenzene, which was detected in M. François’ hair and urine.

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However, Monsanto continues to protest its innocence. The company maintains that there is not enough evidence to establish a causal link between Mr François' symptoms, which prevented him from working for a year after the incident, and chemical poisoning by Lasso.

Monsanto spokesperson Mark Buckingham told Farming Online, “LASSO herbicide was approved in France for 40 years to control weeds in corn. It was successfully used by farmers on millions of hectares around the world.”

He maintained, “Monsanto products comply with safety standards in place at the time of marketing and are supported by guidance for their responsible and safe use. Our analysis of this case is that there is no demonstration of the causal link between Lasso and the symptoms reported by Mr. François.”

Mr Buckingham said Monsanto planned to appeal against the court ruling, though this could take up to a year. He stated, “We do not agree any injury was accidentally caused nor did the company intentionally permit injury. We are disappointed with courts findings and are planning to appeal.”

However, this is not the first time the company has courted such controversy. Monsanto stands accused of knowingly polluting sites by dumping highly toxic PCBs, coolant fluids which were banned under the Stockholm convention in 2001, including the site of its former factory at Anniston, Alabama, and allowing thousands of tons of toxic waste containing PCBs to be dumped at a quarry near Groesfaen, Wales, which has been described by the Environment Agency as "one of the most contaminated" sites in the UK.  

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