Chapter Ten - Poison and Profit

CHAPTER TEN

Poison and Profit

MEDICINE MADE BAYER rich.

But agriculture made it powerful.

In the second half of the 20th century, Bayer expanded aggressively into agrochemicals. Pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides. Chemicals that could control nature and reshape farming. The world’s population was growing and industrial agriculture was becoming the norm.

Bayer positioned itself at the center of it.

The company developed products to kill weeds, repel insects, and protect crops from disease. It introduced neonicotinoids, a class of insecticides that would later be associated with concerns over bee population declines. It launched Folicur, Confidor, and Poncho. Chemicals with sleek names and wide use.

As the farming industry scaled, so did Bayer’s reach. The company supplied chemicals to growers in Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Africa. It promoted its products as tools for progress. Efficient, effective, and essential to feeding the world.

Critics disagreed.

Environmental groups raised concerns about toxicity, runoff, and ecological damage. Lawsuits followed. So did studies. Some countries banned Bayer’s products. Others imposed restrictions. But demand remained high and the company kept selling.

The logic was simple: farming was changing, and farmers needed help. Bayer provided the solution, even if the side effects weren’t fully known.

The line between innovation and harm blurred again.

Bayer had mastered that line. As long as the crops kept growing and the profits kept rising, no one in power asked too many questions.