SIOUX CITY, Iowa – A federal class action lawsuit alleges Syngenta’s release of its insect-resistant MIR162 (Agrisure Viptera) trait has “destroyed the export of U.S. corn to China.”
In Sioux City, lead plaintiffs Cronin Inc. and Jim Ruba, Jr. claim despite not using GM corn themselves, they’ve still been harmed by Syngenta’s actions for several reasons: “(1) Syngenta’s release of Viptera corn into the U.S. corn and corn seed supply, which has destroyed the export of U.S. corn to China and caused depressed prices for all domestic corn; (2) Syngenta’s materially misleading statements relating to the approval status of MIR162 in China and the impact the lack of approval would have on the market; and (3) Syngenta’s widespread contamination of the U.S. corn and corn seed supply with MIR162, which will continue to foreclose the U.S. export market to China in future years and will continue to lead to lower corn prices per bushel in the U.S. market, as a result.”
The Iowa lawsuit also alleges the release of Agrisure Viptera directly contributed to an 85 percent drop in China’s imports of American corn.
The Iowa case is one of three filed on October 3rd; the other two were filed in federal courts in Omaha, Neb. and Springfield, Ill.
