Following an outcry from corn and other ag commodity groups, Bayer's Ruveon unit plans to pull its petitions asking the U.S. to launch antidumping and countervailing duty investigations into glyphosate imports from China.

"Since filing our petitions, we have engaged directly with farmers and agricultural trade associations to hear their perspectives. Today's decision reflects our commitment to putting farmers first and meeting their evolving needs, especially during this challenging farm economy," Ruveon, Bayer's recently launched business to house its U.S. glyphosate operations, said in a statement Friday. 

Bayer is the only U.S. producer of glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, the world's most widely used weedkiller. 

Ruveon said pricing commitments outlined in its July 1 open letter – “To our Customers and a Commitment to Growers” – were contingent on the expected relief from the requested trade actions. 

"As a result of withdrawing them, we will continue with our current dynamic pricing approach, based on the price of generic glyphosate products in the market as we have done in the past," the company said.

The National Corn Growers Association praised Ruveon's decision. 

"We commend Ruveon for listening to its customers and withdrawing this petition. As we have highlighted multiple times in recent weeks and months, input costs are a top concern of growers and for good reason. Actions like the ones Ruveon planned to take would have made an already bad situation even worse," NCGA President and Ohio farmer Jed Bower said in a statement. 

“Farmers are the ones who purchase and use these products, and too often we have felt that we, the customer, are of little importance. We strongly encourage all input providers to consider the full impact of their actions on growers, who are essential to the companies’ bottom line," Bower said. 

In defending the petitions initially, Ruveon said it had done so "to address predatory trade practices and subsidized imports of glyphosate. The domestic glyphosate business as it stands today is not sustainable. This action is needed to support long-term U.S. production for American farmers."

For more news, go to www.Agri-Pulse.com.