Farmers Win Against Syngenta

A federal jury has ordered Syngenta AG to pay $217.7 million to more than 7,000 Kansas farmers over its decision to commercialize a genetically modified strain of corn before China approved importing it.

Lawyers for the farmers announced the decision and blamed the Swiss company for causing catastrophic damage to farmers after Chinese officials began refusing U.S. corn shipments in 2013.

Their case was the first to go to trial. Thousands of other corn producers and traders also seek damages from Syngenta.

In 2010, Syngenta began selling in the United States a strain of insect-resistant genetically modified corn called Agrisure Viptera. It started selling a second strain called Agrisure Duracade in 2013.

In their lawsuit, the Kansas corn farmers accused Syngenta of negligently commercializing the corn seeds before obtaining export approval in China, a major importer.

In 2013, Chinese officials detected Viptera in U.S. corn shipments. The country began rejecting shipments containing millions of metric tons of U.S. corn because they contained the strain, which was unapproved for import, the farmers said.

The loss of the Chinese market caused U.S. corn prices to plummet, leading to over $5 billion in losses for corn producers, the farmers’ lawyers said.

China approved Viptera in December 2014. Duracade is pending approval.

Syngenta intends to appeal.

Source: Reuters