Bayer Enlists French YouTube Influencers For Pesticide Greenwashing
Bayer, the world’s second largest crop chemicals company, sponsored a French influencer to create and share pro-pesticides content with over 300,000 followers on her Instagram account, an investigation has revealed. Jenny Letellier – one of France’s biggest YouTubers with nearly 4 million subscribers – has come under fire for the sponsored content, which was broadcasted via a series of videos from France’s leading agriculture fair last month. This content was produced in conjunction with Morgan Niquet, a YouTuber with 1.3 million subscribers.
French media outlet Vakita, which broke the story, obtained a copy of the contract between the German multinational and Letellier that specified how the social media campaign was tailored to meet clear PR objectives for the company. These included “showing the general public that French agriculture is sustainable and respectful of the environment” and that “it takes into account the expectations of society and younger generations”.
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Many of Letellier’s Instagram followers took a dim view of the content she produced for Bayer, which sparked a torrent of incredulity and outrage online. One follower said on Instagram: “We are fighting to save this planet and you make those of your generation believe that Bayer takes care of it!”. Vakita estimated that the going rate for such a deal was likely to be in the region of €6,000 ($7,200), which included a set of Instagram stories and a post on her feed. Letellier’s comedy Instagram reels routinely receive hundreds of thousands of views; one gained upwards of eight million. Letellier stated in an Instagram post that she had been a “fool” and “naive”, and had deleted the content prior to Vakita’s investigation. She told Vakita that she was not aware of Bayer prior to the partnership, deeply regretted the agreement, and had refused payment.
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President Emmanuel Macron has pledged to end the use of glyphosate, Bayer’s best-selling pesticide, which is considered “probably carcinogenic to humans” by the World Health Organisation. A 2022 study found the weedkiller – which earned Bayer $840 million in global sales in 2018 – is present in the urine of 99 percent of the French population. The EU is expected to decide this year whether glyphosate should be approved for use in farming for the next decade. Roynel said that influencing public opinion was part of Bayer’s “strategy […] to fight fiercely any sustainable transition which would harm its business”.
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https://www.desmog.com/2023/03/22/pesticide-giant-criticised-for-greenwashing-partnership-with-french-influencer/