Bayer consolidates pesticides business in Basel

In May 2017, protestors marched against Monsanto and Bayer in the French-speaking town of Morges. © Keystone / Jean-christophe Bott

In a bid to consolidate pesticide activities in Europe, German chemical and life sciences company Bayer announced it will close its Monsanto operations in the French-speaking town of Morges in 2020 and transfer activities to life sciences hub Basel.

Patrick Kaiser, head of communications at Bayer Switzerland, confirmed the move as part of the company’s efforts to consolidate its pesticides business since acquiring the US company in early 2018. Additional European sites will also be relocated to Basel.

Some 50 employees currently employed at the Morges site will be consulted and solutions will be explored for each them, according to Kaiser.

In mid-2016, Bayer announced its intention to take over the controversial US pesticide giant Monsanto for €51 billion (CHF58 billion). After receiving the greenlight from European competition authorities in March 2018, Bayer announced plans to phase out the Monsanto brand.

Monsanto has been at the centre of controversy for the sale of its weedkiller Roundup. In May, a California courtExternal link ordered Monsanto to pay more than $2 billion to a couple that got cancer after using the weedkiller, which was the third and largest verdict against the company over Roundup. Bayer suffered share price drops in the wake of the verdicts.

Concerns about the effects of glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, have also been raised in other jurisdictions. In January, a French courtExternal link banned the sale of Roundup Pro 360 to gardeners and farmers.

Last year, the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office found the residue of glyphosate in produce was low and did not pose a risk.

Basel is also the headquarters of Swiss pharmaceutical giants Roche and Novartis as well as agribusiness company Syngenta.