Bayer offers $7.25bn to settle weedkiller cancer claims

Bayer, the German bio-tech giant, has proposed paying $7.25bn (£5.35bn) to definitively resolve a legal battle in the US over whether its Roundup weedkiller causes cancer.

The possible settlement is part of a broader push to secure closure over the claims, which have weighed on the company since it bought Monsanto, the American-maker of the widely used but controversial herbicide.

Bayer has already paid roughly $10bn to resolve litigation related to Roundup.

The company, which maintains that the product is safe, said the latest settlement had support from several key plaintiffs' groups. It would need approval by a judge to move forward.