Although Syngenta denies that it misled farmers when it convinced them to plant Viptera, the company is facing mounting lawsuits that claim just the opposite.
The company’s corn GMO seeds that contain MIR162 are the centerpiece of the Louisiana Syngenta lawsuit and also are the contended issue in 11 states where lawsuits have been filed. Farmers believe they were misrepresented on the part of the company regarding the process for Chinese approval of its genetically modified corn, which was given the brand name Viptera. The allegation is that farmers were told that such approval was imminent, which would then allow it to pass through grain inspectors from the country and sales to the vast population could commence.
In 2011, one year prior to the company’s selling of the seeds in question to farmers, Chinese regulators first received Syngenta’s request for approval. The seeds’ key selling point was the sturdy defense it could provide against corn earworms and black cutworms.
The Economic Hit
Within six months after the ban took effect in November 2013, over 1.45 million metric tons of the genetically modified corn were rejected, leading to an 11-cent drop in the price of a bushel of corn.
The company has declared that the process it used to inform farmers concerning the approval process of the genetically modified corn was truthful. Although lawsuits were subsequently filed in 11 states, Syngenta said it made no attempt to ignore neither the rules and regulations nor the laws of countries that sold the corn.
In 2013, corn prices fell by 40 percent, and this year corn futures have dropped again by 18 percent. The price drop comes at about the same time that U.S. corn production had reached its largest amount in the country’s 238-year history.
Do You Believe You Have a Louisiana Syngenta Lawsuit?
If you lost money from growing corn in 2014 and you believe Syngenta’s marketing practices are to blame, you could be eligible to file a Louisiana Syngenta Lawsuit. Attorney Group for Louisiana can analyze your case and determine if you have a legitimate claim for a monetary compensation. We then can refer you to one of our affiliated attorneys that can file a lawsuit on your behalf with no out-of-pocket fees for you. Call Attorney Group for Louisiana today!
