Many businesses in the United States rely on the close trade relationships formed with countries around the world, and the same is true in the agricultural industry. Disruptions to agricultural exports can negatively impact business and the economy, as many U.S. corn growers are now alleging in lawsuits against the Swiss seed company Syngenta. Plaintiffs allege in GMO corn lawsuits that Syngenta sold genetically modified seed to them before it was approved for sale in China, resulting in significant financial loss. A Michigan Syngenta lawsuit may be an option for farmers and exporters who have suffered losses as a result of Syngenta GMO corn.
For more information, contact Attorney Group for Michigan today. Our consultations are free, confidential and without any obligation on your part. We can help answer your questions, and if you choose to pursue a claim we can connect you with an affiliated Michigan Syngenta lawsuit attorney who can assist you throughout the legal process.
The Basics of Corn Exportation
Corn grain exports represent a significant source of income for many American farmers. China has shifted from historically being a producer and exporter of many grains, including corn, to being a major importer of U.S. corn. The country’s increasing demand for corn and corn products has been rising steadily over the years and is predicted to continue increasing.
Corn farmers had a stronghold in the American export trade until recent years. As recently as 2014, corn represented only 6 percent of American agricultural exports, while in 2009 it represented 12 percent share of this market. Farmers are blaming much of this drop on the fact that corn grown from Syngenta seed was rejected from major foreign markets, primarily Chinese, in 2013 and 2014.
The Issue with Syngenta Seeds
The issue that American farmers are raising with Syngenta’s corn seeds is not that they are GMO, but that they represent a particular strain of DNA modification that was not approved by one of the biggest buyers of the end product, China. According to iGrow.org, MIR 162, which goes by the moniker Agrisure Viptera, is the genetically engineered attribute that is embedded within Syngenta’s seed corn. This trait had not been approved in China until late 2014. By then, it was too late for American farmers to recover the millions of dollars lost due to the rejected corn.
But farmers who grew corn from Syngenta seeds are not the only ones who may be affected by this large-scale foreign rejection of American grain. The blending of Syngenta seeded corn with certain other types of American-grown corn may have resulted in batches of exported grain being turned away because they contained trace amounts of unapproved GMO corn. Even shipments of corn that were supposed to contain small amounts of MIR 162 corn were sent back by Chinese importers. These batches may have been grown and processed by farmers who grew fully approved corn varieties, only to have their product tainted with the unaccepted version.
Syngenta GMO Corn Lawsuits
Growers of the rejected corn allege that Syngenta sold the GMO seed prematurely, knowing that it was unapproved in China. This was done, they say, in an effort to advance the company’s profits on the newly and expensively developed seed. Farmers who believe that they have been affected by the rejection of Syngenta seeded corn, or corn that could have been contaminated with Syngenta seeded corn, have begun to take legal action. Complaints that have been filed indicate that more than $1 billion dollars in lost income can be associated with Syngenta corn rejection.
How a Michigan Syngenta Lawsuit Can Help
Farmers who have lost money as a result of Syngenta selling genetically engineered corn seed are filing Syngenta GMO corn lawsuits. Whether or not a farmer used GMO corn seed, their harvest may have been contaminated, rejected or sold at a lower price as a result of Syngenta’s actions. Plaintiffs include exporters, corn farmers, brokers, grain silos, resellers and others involved in the corn chain of distribution. Corn farmers who did not use Syngenta corn seed may also be able to pursue a claim.
People who have been affected by Syngenta GMO corn are encouraged to seek the advice of a qualified Michigan Syngenta lawsuit attorney so that they can be informed of their legal rights.
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