China had not approved corn seed for import
By David Pitt
Associated Press
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Agrochemicals giant Syngenta is facing a growing number of lawsuits challenging its release of a genetically modified corn seed that China had not approved for import, with losses to farmers estimated to be at least $1 billion.
More than 50 lawsuits have been filed in 11 major corn-growing states, including Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska with hundreds more being prepared. Some suits are from farmers represented by individual attorneys, others are class-action lawsuits representing hundreds more.
A federal court panel that manages complex lawsuits involving large numbers of plaintiffs has scheduled a Dec. 4 hearing in Charleston, South Carolina, to decide where to consolidate the cases.
The legal dispute centers around Syngenta's sale of a hybrid corn seed called Agrisure Viptera, which was genetically altered to contain a protein that kills corn-eating bugs such as earworms and cutworms. The U.S. Department of Agriculture approved it in 2010, and Syngenta first sold it to farmers in 2011.
It has been industry practice for biotech seed developers to wait until major trade partners have approved new products before selling it widely, Paul said. But China, a growing importer of U.S. corn that refuses to buy genetically modified crops it hasn't tested, had not approved Viptera.
China discovered the Viptera corn trait in several U.S. shipments in November 2013 and in February began rejecting the nation's corn. It has rejected more than 130 million bushels as of late October, the lawsuits say.
Damages have been estimated to exceed $1 billion for the last nine months of the marketing year ending Aug. 31, according to research by the National Grain and Feed Association, a grain marketing trade group.
Exports of U.S. corn are down 85 percent this year compared to 2013 and that has driven down corn prices, according to the 13 suits filed in federal court in Des Moines, Iowa.
Published: Wed, Nov 19, 2014
